Zh Obshch Biol. 2002 May-Jun; 63(3): 258-69.

[Natural toxins in inter- and intraspecies interaction of human being (elements of ethnotoxinology)]

Gelashvili DB.

Dept. Ecology, Biological Faculty, N.I. Lobachevsky State University, Prospect Gagarina 23, Nizhny Novgorod 603600, Russia. ecology@unn.ac.ru

The author considers the application of natural toxins as arrow poison by Homo sapiens from ancient time till today for hunting and ethnic wars on the example of natives of Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania. Geographic isolation was important determining the spectrum of natural toxin sources and the methods of their application. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of arrow poisons effects are considered in biogeographical context: aconitin and strychnin in Asia, diamphotoxin in Africa, indole alcaloids of plants and steroid alcaloids of amphibian in Central and South America, palytoxin in Oceania islands. High efficiency and selective effect of natural toxins allow to use them as molecular markers in current studies of functional membrane architecture and cellular structures. Great differences in pace of civilization development leads to the co-existence at the beginning of the XXI century ethnic groups that use natural toxins as arrow poison and human beings that use the same toxins in fundamental and applied investigations within international scientific society.