BIOGENIC AMINES AND ACTIVE POLYPEPTIDES IN THE SKIN OF TEN JAPANESE AMPHIBIAN SPECIES

Abstract

In the course of a systematic study on the constituents of amphibian skin active on vascular and extravascular plain muscle it soon became manifest that the skin of amphibians could represent an enormous store-house not only of biogenic amines (imidazole-, indole and phenyl-alkylamines) but also of highly active polypeptides. The most extensive investigation on this topic has so far been carried out on South-American amphibian species (1-9). The present paper represents a first report of a more complete study we are planning to carry out on Asian amphibians.