Dataset Information

Rheological and Biological Properties of Adhesive Skin Secretions from Eupsophus vertebralis (Anura: Alsodidae).

ABSTRACT: Skin secretions from Patagonian ground frogs, Eupsophus vertebralis, have previously been reported as a potent proteinaceous adhesive with potential biomedical applications. Here, we conducted a rheological analysis indicating the mechanical robustness of these secretions, with a storage modulus ranging from 1 to 10 Pa. In addition, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity assays were performed, revealing no antimicrobial activity against both the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The cytotoxicity results were intriguing, as three samples showed no harm, and one exhibited a severe cytotoxic effect on the human cell line MG63. These properties, as indicated by these preliminary results, reinforce their potential for practical applications in the industrial and medical sectors.

SUBMITTER: Contreras FA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10985274 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Rheological and Biological Properties of Adhesive Skin Secretions from <i>Eupsophus vertebralis</i> (Anura: Alsodidae).

Contreras Felipe A FA Sepúlveda Daniela P DP Amaral André Capaldo AC Nuñez José J JJ Trovatti Eliane E Suárez-Villota Elkin Y EY

Scientifica 20240325

Skin secretions from Patagonian ground frogs, <i>Eupsophus vertebralis</i>, have previously been reported as a potent proteinaceous adhesive with potential biomedical applications. Here, we conducted a rheological analysis indicating the mechanical robustness of these secretions, with a storage modulus ranging from 1 to 10 Pa. In addition, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity assays were performed, revealing no antimicrobial activity against both the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The cytot ...[more]

PMID: 38566624

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Project description:The genus Eupsophus (ground frogs) inhabits exclusively the temperate forests of southern South America (Chile and Argentina). The current delimitation of the genus was reached in the late 1970s, when only two species were recognized, but since then the number of described species steadily increased, reaching a maximum of 11 by 2012. Subsequent studies that applied explicit species delimitation approaches decreased the number of species to six in 2017 and raised it again to 11 the following year, including an undescribed putative species. Despite these taxonomic changes, the two species groups traditionally recognized, roseus and vertebralis, have been maintained. Another recent contribution to the taxonomy of the genus was the explicit recognition of the extremely high level of external phenotypic variation exhibited by species of the roseus group, which undermines the utility of some diagnostic characters. Here we provide a critical review of the extensive taxonomic and systematic literature on the genus over the last six decades, to examine the evidence behind the recurrent taxonomic changes and advances in its systematics. We also update and complete a 2017 review of geographic information, provide additional qualitative observations of external characters commonly used in the diagnoses of species of the roseus group, and reassess the phylogenetic position of a putative new species from Tolhuaca (Chile), which was not included in the last species delimitation study. The present review shows that: 1) there is no congruence between the patterns of phenotypic and genetic/phylogenetic differentiation among species of both groups; 2) in the roseus group, the intraspecific variation in some external characters is as high as the differences described among species; 3) there is little morphological and bioacoustic differentiation within species groups, and inconsistencies in the chromosomal evidence at the genus level; 4) under the latest taxonomic proposal (2018), species of the roseus group still lack consistent and reliable diagnoses and their distribution limits are poorly defined; and 5) the population from Tolhuaca represents an additional undescribed species under the most recent taxonomic framework. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for the taxonomy and biogeography of the genus, pointing out some areas that require further research to understand their patterns and processes of diversification.

Project description:The alsodid ground frogs of the Eupsophus genus are divided into two groups, the roseus (2n = 30) and vertebralis (2n = 28), which are distributed throughout the temperate Nothofagus forests of South America. Currently, the roseus group is composed by four species, while the vertebralis group consists of two. Phylogenetic relationships and species delimitation within each group are controversial. In fact, previous analyses considered that the roseus group was composed of between four to nine species. In this work, we evaluated phylogenetic relationships, diversification times, and species delimitation within the roseus group using a multi-locus dataset. For this purpose, mitochondrial (D-loop, Cyt b, and COI) and nuclear (POMC and CRYBA1) partial sequences from 164 individuals were amplified, representing all species. Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian approaches were used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships. Species tree was estimated using BEAST and singular value decomposition scores for species quartets (SVDquartets). Species limits were evaluated with six coalescent approaches. Diversification times were estimated using mitochondrial and nuclear rates with LogNormal relaxed clock in BEAST. Nine well-supported monophyletic lineages were recovered in Bayesian, ML, and SVDquartets, including eight named species and a lineage composed by specimens from the Villarrica population (Bootstrap:>70, PP:> 0.99). Single-locus species delimitation analyses overestimated the species number in E. migueli, E. calcaratus, and E. roseus lineages, while multi-locus analyses recovered as species the nine lineages observed in phylogenetic analyses (Ctax = 0.69). It is hypothesized that Eupsophus diversification occurred during Mid-Pleistocene (0.42-0.14 Mya), with most species having originated after the Last Southern Patagonian Glaciation (0.18 Mya). Our results revitalize the hypothesis that the E. roseus group is composed of eight species and support the Villarrica lineage as a new putative species.

Project description:The edible catfish Arius bilineatus, (Valenciennes) elaborates a proteinaceous gel-like material through its epidermis when threatened or injured. Our on-going studies on this gel have shown it to be a complex mixture of several biologically active molecules. Anti-cancer studies on lipid fractions isolated from the gel-like materials showed them to be active against several cancer cell lines. This prompted us to investigate further the lipid composition of the catfish epidermal gel secretions (EGS). Analysis of the lipid fraction of EGS resulted in identification of 12 oxysterols including cholesterol and 2 deoxygenated steroids i.e., 7α-hydroxy cholesterol, 7β-hydroxycholesterol, 5,6 epoxycholesterol, 3β-hydroxycholest-5-ene-7-one and cholesta-3,5-dien-7-one. Progesterone, cholest-3,5-diene, cholesta-2,4-diene, cholest-3,5,6-triol and 4-cholesten-3-one were found as minor components, and were identified through their MS, 1HNMR and FTIR spectral data and were compared with those of the standards. Cholest-3,6-dione, cholesta-4,6-diene-3-one, cholesta-2,4-diene, and cholesta-5,20(22)-dien-3-ol were found only in trace amounts and were identified by GC/MS/MS spectral data. Since cholesterol is the major component of EGS, the identified oxysterols (OS) are presumably cholesterol oxidation products. Many of the identified OS are known important biological molecules that play vital physiological role in the producer and recipient organisms. We report herein the effects of these sterols on three human cancer cell lines in vitro, i.e., K-562 (CML cell line), MDA MB-231 (estrogen positive breast cancer cell line) and MCF-7 (estrogen negative breast cancer cell line). Interestingly significant (p < 0.05) dose differences were observed between tested OS on cell types used. The presence of these sterols in EGS may help explain some aspects of the physiological activities of fraction B (FB) prepared from EGS, such as enhanced wound and diabetic ulcer healing, anti-inflammatory action and cytotoxic activities reported in our previous studies. The anti-proliferative actions of some of these oxysterols especially the cholesterol 3,5,6-triol (#5) as established on selected cancer cell lines in this study support our previous studies and make them candidates for research for human application.

Dataset Information

Rheological and Biological Properties of Adhesive Skin Secretions from Eupsophus vertebralis (Anura: Alsodidae).

Publications

Rheological and Biological Properties of Adhesive Skin Secretions from <i>Eupsophus vertebralis</i> (Anura: Alsodidae).

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