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Abstract
Bufonid frogs of the genus Atelopus contain two classes of skin toxins, namely the
steroidal bufadienolides and the water-soluble tetrodotoxins. Frogs of the Panamanian
species Atelopus varius have now been raised in captivity and levels in skin extracts
of bufadienolides and of tetrodotoxin-like compounds assessed, using inhibition of
[3H]ouabain binding and inhibition of [3H]saxitoxin binding, respectively. Levels
of ouabain equivalents, corresponding to bufadienolides, were comparable to those
found in wild-caught frogs from the same population in Panama, while tetrodotoxin-like
activity was undetectable. The results strongly implicate environmental factors, perhaps
symbiotic microorganisms, in the genesis of tetrodotoxins in the skin of frogs of
the genus Atelopus, while indicating that the frog itself produces the skin bufadienolides.