What Is Dart Frog Toxin, the Poison Behind Navalny's Death?

Epibatidine, the highly potent toxin Britain has linked to the death of Alexei Navalny, is reportedly 100 times stronger than morphine.

This highly poisonous, nicotine-like substance comes from the Epipedobates genus of poison dart frogs.frogs, found only in northern South America. It is important to note that these amphibians are not native to Russia.

Species like the vividly colored Anthony's poison arrow frog and the Phantasmal poison frog produce this substance on their skin. Scientists believe that thefrogsobtain the toxin via their food, as animals raised in captivity do not have it, and wild groups show different concentrations based on where they live.

Epibatidine has been studied as a potential treatment for pain and to alleviate inflammatory lung conditions, including asthma and pulmonary fibrosis.

Nevertheless, it is approximately a hundred times stronger than morphine and due to its harmful effects, it is not utilized in medical practice.

Professor Alastair Hay stated that Epibatidine works by preventing nerve activity through the blocking of nicotinic receptors in both the central and peripheral nervous systems.

The Emeritus Professor of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Leeds stated: “Blocking these receptors leads to muscle paralysis and impairment of the respiratory system.”

So, the act of breathing is obstructed, and an individual who has been poisoned succumbs due to lack of air.

Professor Hay mentioned that the presence of the toxin in someone's bloodstream "implies intentional introduction."

He stated: “The toxicity of epibatidine can become more severe when combined with specific other medications, and such combinations have been studied.”

If epibatidine, a poison, was actually used to poisonAlexei Navalny, this breaches the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

The Soviet Union helped sponsor the BTWC. Russia is a party to both the BTWC and CWC.

If Russia employed Epibatidine to poison Mr. Navalny, it has breached two agreements it has pledged to follow.

Epibatidine can be identified through the use of gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

Gas chromatography is used to isolate compounds of interest, while mass spectrometry fragments chemicals into specific pieces, producing a distinct pattern that allows for the identification of the substance.

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