Abstract:Poison dart frogs of the genus Phyllobates secrete lipophilic alkaloid toxins through their skin that were used by Colombian Amerindians to poison the tips of blowdarts. One of the most potent toxins identified is batrachotoxin (BTX) which is an activator of voltage-gated Na þ channels. BTX causes sustained opening of these channels by shifting the voltage-dependent activation to more hyperpolarized potentials and by disabling both fast and slow inactivation. It also alters pore conductance and selectivity. En… Show more
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