Aetokthonotoxin, the causative agent of vacuolar myelinopathy, uncouples oxidative phosphorylation due to protonophore activity
Valerie I. C. Rebhahn, Mohamad Saoud, Mathias Winterhalter, Franziska Schanbacher, Maximilian Jobst, Rebeca Ruiz, Alexander Sonntag, Johannes Kollatz, Rieke Sprengel, Stephen F. Donovan, Giorgia Del Favero, Robert Rennert, Timo H. J. Niedermeyer
This study identifies Aetokthonotoxin as a protonophore that uncouples oxidative phosphorylation, leading to ATP depletion and neurotoxic effects in wildlife.
Chemical Research in Toxicology · Jul 25, 2025Peer-reviewedPharmacology & Toxicology