Daly J W, Secunda S I, Garraffo H M, Spande T F, Wisnieski A, Cover J F
Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Toxicon. 1994 Jun;32(6):657-63. doi: 10.1016/0041-0101(94)90335-2.
The skin of poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) contains a wide variety of alkaloids that presumably serve a defensive role. These alkaloids persist for years in captivity, but are not present in captive-raised frogs. Alkaloids fed to poison frogs (Dendrobates, Phyllobates, Epipedobates) are readily accumulated into skin, where they remain for months. The process can be selective; an ant indolizidine is accumulated, while an ant pyrrolidine is not. Frogs (Colostethus) of the same family, which do not normally contain alkaloids, do not accumulate alkaloids. Such an alkaloid uptake system provides a means of maintaining skin alkaloids and suggests that some if not all such 'dendrobatid alkaloids' may have a dietary origin.
箭毒蛙（树棘蛙科）的皮肤含有多种生物碱，推测这些生物碱起到防御作用。这些生物碱在圈养环境中能持续存在数年，但人工饲养的青蛙体内不存在这些生物碱。给箭毒蛙（草莓箭毒蛙属、叶毒蛙属、小丑箭毒蛙属）投喂生物碱后，它们会很容易地在皮肤中积累，并在那里留存数月。这个过程具有选择性；一种蚂蚁吲哚里西啶会被积累，而一种蚂蚁吡咯烷则不会。同科的青蛙（疣背箭毒蛙属）通常不含生物碱，也不会积累生物碱。这样一种生物碱摄取系统提供了一种维持皮肤生物碱水平的方式，这表明即便不是所有的此类“树棘蛙科生物碱”，至少有些可能来源于食物。
