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 Dr. Soumitra Choudhury Kolkata, West Bengal. INDIA Contents | Toxin means poison. There are many kinds of poison: sometimes a metal, a metal salt, or extracts from leaves or roots of plants. Is a toxin one of these kinds of poison? Not at all. From a chemical-structural point of view, a toxin is a type of protein. Toxins are found in microorganisms and in the bodies of animals. Many animals use toxins to protect themselves. Some toxins are not very poisonous, while the toxins found in the bodies of certain animals are extremely deadly. One such animal is the golden poison frog. It is not a large animal, only about two inches long. However, it easily catches the eye because of its distinctive color. These frogs live for about six to ten years. They are extremely poisonous. Their scientific name is Phyllobates terribilis. This species of frog has been labeled “terrible” because its skin contains a lethal poison—a special kind of toxin called batrachotoxin. It is extremely toxic and destroys the nervous system (neurotoxic). In scientific terms, it is a type of alkaloid. This alkaloid poison is spread all over the frog’s skin. At this point, one thing should be clarified. Alkaloids are chemical compounds obtained from nature and must contain nitrogen atoms. Most alkaloids such as nicotine, caffeine, and morphine are found in plants. Alkaloids are also found in fungi, bacteria, and in a small number of animals. The golden poison frog is one such animal. Merely touching this frog can cause death in humans or other animals due to the action of its toxic secretion. The body begins to tremble, muscles become paralyzed, and the functions of the heart and respiratory system stop. In other words, death is inevitable. There is no treatment to counteract this poison. Humans have used this terrifying poison for hunting. When a weapon coated with this toxin is thrown at a large animal, death is certain. How is this poison collected? That will be explained later. This special species of frog is found in Colombia, South America, especially in dense rainforest regions. These frogs feed on insects found in the jungle. Due to the expansion of human settlements, rainforests are shrinking, and as a result, the population of this yellow poisonous frog is declining. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed this frog as an endangered species. The entire species is on the verge of extinction. Many indigenous tribes live in the forest regions of Colombia. Tribal people skewer the frog on spears or lances and then burn it in small containers. The poison remains in the burned parts. They coat arrowheads with this poison to make deadly weapons, which they use for hunting animals. In laboratories, the toxin is collected very carefully, avoiding direct contact. This frog is very small in size, about two to two-and-a-half inches long. The poisonous toxin is secreted from glands located near the back of the neck. Extensive research has been conducted on this toxic chemical. Morphine is used to relieve severe pain, but batrachotoxin obtained from this frog is even more potent. By making slight changes to its chemical structure, a drug has been developed called epibatidine. However, because it is extremely toxic, its use is very limited. The golden poison frog is yellow or golden in color, but green and orange varieties of this species are also found. Medical research is also exploring whether these toxins can be converted into muscle relaxants, anesthetics, and cardiac stimulant drugs. It is believed that they could be used as anesthetics even more effective than morphine. India has vast biodiversity and many kinds of frogs, but Phyllobates terribilis is not found here. In fact, to this day, no poisonous frog species has been discovered anywhere in India.
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