Lipidomics combined with transcriptomic and mass spectrometry imaging analysis of the Asiatic toad (Bufo gargarizans) during metamorphosis and bufadienolide accumulation

BACKGROUND: To adapt to life on land, Asiatic toads (Bufo gargarizans) must remodel their bodies and refine their chemical defenses in water. The full scope of the mechanisms underlying these processes has yet to be revealed. Bufadienolides (BDs) are chemical defense substances secreted by toads when they are in danger, and they have high medicinal value in treating heart failure, cancer, and hepatitis. However, the artificial breeding of toads to increase BDs has been unsuccessful due to the high mortality of toad larvae during metamorphosis. METHOD: Toad larvae at different growth stages were selected to study the changes in the metamorphosis process under the same growth conditions. The differences of tadpoles were explored, including body remodeling, energy metabolism, synthesis and regulation of BDs, through lipidomic technology, transcriptomic technology, and mass spectrometry imaging technology during metamorphosis. RESULTS: During metamorphosis, tadpoles underwent significant changes in lipid metabolism due to body remodeling to adapt to terrestrial life, which involved ketosis, lipogenesis, cholesterol metabolism, and fatty acid oxidation. The accumulation trend of BDs was observed. “Pentose phosphate pathway” and “Aromatase activity” may be the critical pathway and GO term in BD synthesis, involving 16 genes predominantly expressed in the liver. The involved genes were mainly expressed in the liver, consistent with the synthetic site observed by mass spectrometry imaging. CONCLUSION: Together, our findings presented the changes in the toad larvae during metamorphosis and highlighted the accumulation process of BDs as well as the regulatory pathways and synthetic site, providing research and theoretical basis for future development of the toad resources. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13020-022-00676-7.