Chemistry
Batrachotoxin comes from the Greek words "batrachos" (βάτραχος) meaning frog, and "toxine" (τοξίνη) meaning poison. It was named by scientists John Daly and Bernhard Witkop, who separated the potent toxic alkaloids fraction and determined chemical properties. Due to the difficulty of handling such a potent toxin and the minuscule amount that could be collected, a comprehensive structure determination involved several sufferings. However, Takashi Tokuyama, who joined to the investigation later, converted one of congener compounds, Batrachotoxinin A, to a crystalline derivative and its unique steroidal structure was solved with x-ray diffraction techniques (1968). When the mass and nmr spectra of Batrachotoxin and the Batrachotoxinin A derivatives were compared, it was realised that the two shared the same steroidal structure and that Batrachotoxin was Batrachotoxinin A with a single extra pyrrole moiety attached. The structure of Batrachotoxin was established through chemical recombination of both fragments (1969)、,. Batrachotoxinin A was synthesized by Yoshito Kishi and et al. (1991).
More than 100 toxins have been identified from the skin secretions of members of the frog family Dendrobatidae, especially Dendrobates and Phyllobates. Members of the genus Dendrobates, Ranitomeya, and Oophaga are also known as "poison dart" or "poison arrow" frogs. However, only frogs of the genus Phyllobates produce the highly lethal batrachotoxin. One example of this would be the Phyllobates Terribilis, also known as the Golden Poison frog. This frog is considered by some to be one of the most poisonous animals in the world. The poison seeps through pores, hair follicles, and abrasions.
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