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Toxin used to kill Alexei Navalny likely synthetic, not sourced from dart frogs, say experts
Following accusations against Russia for poisoning Alexei Navalny, experts indicate the neurotoxin involved is likely a synthetic version.
Days after European leaders accused Russia of ‘poisoning’ opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison using a ‘rare toxin’, South American dart frog experts on Monday reportedly said that the particular toxin was likely a lab-produced replica, rather than sourced from the wild.
Neurotoxin epibatidine is believed to be carried by a number of South American dart frog species in the forests of Ecuador and Peru, reported news agency AFP.
Foreign ministries of the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands alleged that opposition leader and a strong critic of President Vladimir Putin was poisoned by Russia with the rare and lethal toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs.
Alexei Navalny passed away in an Arctic prison colony in February 2024 while serving a 19-year sentence for "extremism," a charge that he and his supporters say was punishment for his opposition work.
What is Neurotoxin epibatidine?
Neurotoxin epibatidine which is carried in the skin of several South American dart frogs is a highly toxic compound. It was first isolated from poison dart frogs of the Epipedobates genus, native to northern South America — frogs that do not occur naturally in Russia, according to a report by The Guardian.
In an interview with BBC Russian, toxicology expert Jill Johnson said that this “extremely rare neurotoxin” is only found in one wild frog species in tiny quantities and that the toxin is acquired by frogs through their diet, because frogs raised in captivity do not have epibatidine.
Availability of the lethal toxin
Speaking on the availability of dart frogs to procure the toxin, Ecuador's Jambatu Center for Amphibian Research and Conservation member Andrea Teran said that it is quite easy to find them in markets as the amphibians are exported or smuggled in huge numbers every year.
More than 800 of the suspected species, Epipedobates anthonyi, also known as Anthony's poison arrow frog have been legally exported from Ecuador over the last ten years, AFP reported citing CITES permit data.
In Navalny's death, experts said that it was more likely that the toxin was a synthetic copy rather than the real thing.
“It's easier to buy the toxin or obtain it from labs that produce it,” Teran said.
Impossible to source from wild
Jambatu Center for Amphibian Research and Conservation director Ivan Lozano said that an "enormous number of frogs" -- each about two to three centimetres long, would be needed to produce a lethal dose for a human, deeming it ‘impossible’.
Only a "synthetic version" made in a laboratory could kill a person, he said.
