Lizard epidermal gland secretions II : chemical characterization of the generation gland secretion of the sungazer, Cordylus giganteus
Date
2011-06
Authors
Louw, Stefan
Burger, B. V.
Le Roux, Maritha
Van Wyk, Johannes H.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
American Chemical Society and American Society of Pharmacognosy
Abstract
In lizards, the epidermal glands of the femoral and precloacal regions are involved in the production of semiochemicals. In addition to its femoral glands, the giant girdled lizard, or sungazer, Cordylus giganteus, which is endemic to South Africa, has generation glands as an additional potential source of semiochemicals. These epidermal glands are described as glandular scales that overlay the femoral glands and are included in the normal epidermal profile located in the femoral (thigh) and anterior antebrachial (fore-leg) regions of the male sungazer. GC-MS analysis of the generation gland secretions and the trimethylsilyl derivatives of some of the steroidal constituents was employed to identify 59 constituents, including alkenes, carboxylic acids, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters, amides, nitriles, and steroids. The quantitative differences of the volatile constituents of the fore- and hind-leg generation glands were compared between individuals. This is the first report on the chemical composition of generation glandular material of lizards. © 2011 The American Chemical Society and American Society of Pharmacognosy.
Description
The original publication is available at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/np1008366
Keywords
Epidermal glands -- Secretions, Cordylus giganteus -- Physiology, Lizards -- Physiology, Semiochemicals, Gas chromatography, Mass spectrometry
Citation
Louw, S., Burger, B. V., Le Roux, M. & Van Wyk, J. H. 2011. Lizard epidermal gland secretions II : chemical characterization of the generation gland secretion of the sungazer, Cordylus giganteus. Journal of Natural Products, 74(6):1364-1369, doi:10.1021/np1008366.