Evaluation of benzocaine-based anesthetic gel in anuran skins extracts: A case study using the frog Lithodytes lineatus (Anura: Leptodactylidae)

PLoS One. 2020 Dec 8;15(12):e0243654. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243654. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Extracts made from the skin of dead Lithodytes lineatus frog individuals with the application of the benzocaine-based anesthetic gel, introduced into the oral cavity, were analyzed by 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to investigate whether the application of this product (oral) can make studies that use extracts from the skins of these animals unfeasible. For comparison, we used skins of another species of anuran following the same death protocol. No trace of the benzocaine substance was found in the 1H-NMR spectra of the skin extracts from any of the tested anuran species. Still, using the hierarchical clustering model, it was possible to observe the formation of well-defined groups between the skin extracts of anurans and the anesthetic used to kill these animals. Our results suggest that the lethal dose of benzocaine in gel used inside the mouth of frogs may have no influence on potential results regarding the chemical composition or even bioassays using extracts made from the skin of these animals killed under this protocol since there was no detection of this substance for the analyzed samples.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anesthetics / administration & dosage
  • Anesthetics / analysis*
  • Animals
  • Anura*
  • Benzocaine / administration & dosage
  • Benzocaine / analysis*
  • Collagen
  • Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Skin / chemistry*
  • Specimen Handling / methods
  • Tissue Extracts / analysis*
  • Tissue Extracts / chemistry

Substances

  • Anesthetics
  • Tissue Extracts
  • collagen-based sealant GAO
  • Collagen
  • Benzocaine

Grants and funding

YES - Specify the role(s) played. The authors thanks to the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) granted the doctoral scholarship to ALB and financial support (Pro-Amazônia/CAPES - 23038.000738/2013-78) and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) provide financial support (CT-Amazônia/CNPq - 405804/2013-0) and CVN fellowships (309654/2016-5 and 305177/2019-2) and to FAPEAM for financial support.