Epibatidine (EPB)

Epibatidine is an alkaloid found on the skin of the endangered Ecuadorian frog, Epipedobates tricolor. These frogs, like other poison dart frogs, are best known for their ability to sequester poisons from their prey and secrete these poisons onto their backs. Many Amerindian tribes would swipe the frogs' backs with their blowdarts to provide a much more successful hunt. The one toxin that distinguishes the Epipedobates tricolor from other frogs in this family is epibatidine. The frog uses the compound to protect itself from predators. Animals many times larger would die from the small amounts of epibatidine that the frog secretes. Epibatidine’s structure is similar to that of nicotine. It is a hygroscopic oily substance that can act as a base, due to its nitrogenous aspects. Therefore, it can react with acids to form salts. Its structural resemblance to nicotine enables the substance to bind to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.