What potent toxin is extracted from the castor bean?
"was charged with manufacturing ricin in his dorm room, as well as the intent of ""[using] the ricin on another undergraduate student with whom he had a relationship"". Mohammed Ali from Liverpool, England was convicted after attempting to purchase 500 mg of ricin over the dark web from an undercover FBI agent. He was sentenced, on 18 September 2015, to 8 years' imprisonment. Ricin Ricin ( ), a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, ""Ricinus communis"", is a highly potent toxin. A dose of purified ricin powder the size of a few grains"
"carcinogen that can also cause acute liver hemorrhage and death at higher doses. Proteins can also be natural poisons or antinutrients, such as the trypsin inhibitors (discussed above) that are found in some legumes, as shown in the figure above. A less common class of toxins are toxic enzymes: these act as irreversible inhibitors of their target enzymes and work by chemically modifying their substrate enzymes. An example is ricin, an extremely potent protein toxin found in castor oil beans. This enzyme is a glycosidase that inactivates ribosomes. Since ricin is a catalytic irreversible inhibitor, this allows just a single"
"denatures and deactivates the lectin. However, harvesting castor beans may not be without risk. Allergenic compounds found on the plant surface can cause permanent nerve damage, making the harvest of castor beans a human health risk. India, Brazil and China are the major crop producers and the workers suffer harmful side effects from working with these plants. These health issues, in addition to concerns about the toxic byproduct (ricin) from castor oil production, have encouraged the quest for alternative sources for hydroxy fatty acids. Alternatively, some researchers are trying to genetically modify the castor plant to prevent the synthesis of"
"when castor beans have been ingested by animals. In addition, seeds containing amygdalin—apple, apricot, bitter almond, peach, plum, cherry, quince, and others—when consumed in sufficient amounts, may cause cyanide poisoning. Other seeds that contain poisons include annona, cotton, custard apple, datura, uncooked durian, golden chain, horse-chestnut, larkspur, locoweed, lychee, nectarine, rambutan, rosary pea, sour sop, sugar apple, wisteria, and yew. The seeds of the strychnine tree are also poisonous, containing the poison strychnine. The seeds of many legumes, including the common bean (""Phaseolus vulgaris""), contain proteins called lectins which can cause gastric distress if the beans are eaten without cooking."
"humans are the result of oral ingestion of castor beans, 5–20 of which could prove fatal to an adult. However, swallowing castor beans rarely proves to be fatal unless the bean is thoroughly chewed. The survival rate of castor bean ingestion is 98%. In 2013 a 37-year-old female in the United States survived after ingesting 30 beans. Victims often manifest nausea, diarrhea, fast heart rate, low blood pressure, and seizures persisting for up to a week. Blood, plasma, or urine ricin or ricinine concentrations may be measured to confirm diagnosis. The laboratory testing usually involves immunoassay or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry."
"release, his sentence called for Cutler to be placed in a mental health institution. His case is listed in the ""WMD"" section of the Senate ""Making America Safer"" report. Casey Cutler Casey Cutler (born c. 1980) was arrested on 6 June 2005, in Arizona, after sparking a full terrorism investigation and raid over his attempts to extract ricin from castor oil. Ricin cannot be made from castor oil. The recipe requires castor beans. It can be made using a recipe Cutler had downloaded from the Internet. In court, he pleaded that he was trying to manufacture the poison to protect"
"days; however, in most cases a full recovery can be made. Poisoning occurs when animals, including humans, ingest broken seeds or break the seed by chewing: intact seeds may pass through the digestive tract without releasing the toxin. The toxin provides the castor oil plant with some degree of natural protection from insect pests such as aphids. Ricin has been investigated for its potential use as an insecticide. The castor oil plant is also the source for undecylenic acid, a natural fungicide. Commercially available cold-pressed castor oil is not toxic to humans in normal doses, either internal or externally. Three"
"calcium to form kidney stones); castor beans are the source of ricin, one of the most powerful poisons in existence; and velvet beans contain 3.1-6.1% L-DOPA, which can be toxic in large quantities. The list of toxic plants is long, but toxicity does not always mean a particular plant should be avoided, the knowledge needed to render toxic plants safe to use already exists in most communities. The contents of a bag of commercial fertilizer is described in terms of NPK -nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K); with nitrogen being the main component of most commercial fertilizers. Oxygen is"
"triggering allergic reactions. The sap of the plant causes skin rashes. Individuals who are allergic to the plant can also develop rashes from merely touching the leaves, flowers, or seeds. These individuals can also have cross-allergic reactions to latex sap from the related ""Hevea brasiliensis"" plant. The toxicity of raw castor beans is due to the presence of ricin. Although the lethal dose in adults is considered to be four to eight seeds, reports of actual poisoning are relatively rare. According to the ""Guinness World Records"", this is the world's most poisonous common plant. Symptoms of overdosing on ricin, which"
"can include nausea, diarrhea, tachycardia, hypotension and seizures, persist for up to a week. However, the poison can be extracted from castor by concentrating it with a fairly complicated process similar to that used for extracting cyanide from almonds. If ricin is ingested, symptoms may be delayed by up to 36 hours but commonly begin within 2–4 hours. These include a burning sensation in mouth and throat, abdominal pain, purging and bloody diarrhea. Within several days there is severe dehydration, a drop in blood pressure and a decrease in urine. Unless treated, death can be expected to occur within 3–5"
"Casey Cutler Casey Cutler (born c. 1980) was arrested on 6 June 2005, in Arizona, after sparking a full terrorism investigation and raid over his attempts to extract ricin from castor oil. Ricin cannot be made from castor oil. The recipe requires castor beans. It can be made using a recipe Cutler had downloaded from the Internet. In court, he pleaded that he was trying to manufacture the poison to protect himself from being beaten by the drug dealers to whom he owed money. He was convicted, with his sentence adjusted downward from that recommended by the Sentencing Guidelines. Upon"
"Abrin Abrin is an extremely toxic toxalbumin found in the seeds of the rosary pea (or jequirity pea), ""Abrus precatorius"". It has a median toxic dose of 0.7 micrograms per kilogram of body mass when given to mice intravenously (approximately 31.4 times more toxic than ricin, being 22 micrograms per kilogram). The median toxic dose for humans ranges from 10 to 1000 micrograms per kilogram when ingested and is 3.3 micrograms per kilogram when inhaled. Abrin is a ribosome inhibiting protein like ricin, a toxin which can be found in the seeds of the castor oil plant and pulchellin, a"
"Abrin Abrin is an extremely toxic toxalbumin found in the seeds of the rosary pea (or jequirity pea), ""Abrus precatorius"". It has a median toxic dose of 0.7 micrograms per kilogram of body mass when given to mice intravenously (approximately 31.4 times more toxic than ricin, being 22 micrograms per kilogram). The median toxic dose for humans ranges from 10 to 1000 micrograms per kilogram when ingested and is 3.3 micrograms per kilogram when inhaled. Abrin is a ribosome inhibiting protein like ricin, a toxin which can be found in the seeds of the castor oil plant and pulchellin, a"
"terpenoids and a tocopherol-related compound have been found in the aerial parts of ""Ricinus"". Compounds named (3""E"",7""Z"",11""E"")-19-hydroxycasba-3,7,11-trien-5-one, 6α-hydroxy-10β-methoxy-7α,8α-epoxy-5-oxocasbane-20,10-olide, 15α-hydroxylup-20(29)-en-3-one, and (2""R"",4a""R"",8a""R"")-3,4,4a,8a-tetrahydro-4a-hydroxy-2,6,7,8a-tetramethyl-2-(4,8, 12-trimethyltridecyl)-2""H""-chromene-5,8-dione were isolated from the methanol extracts of ""Ricinus communis"" by chromatographic methods. Partitioned h-hexane fraction of ""Ricinus"" root methanol extract resulted in enrichment of two triterpenes: lupeol and urs-6-ene-3,16-dione (erandone). Crude methanolic extract, enriched n-hexane fraction and isolates at doses 100 mg/kg p.o. exhibited significant (P < 0.001) anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan-induced hind paw oedema model. Global castor seed production is around two million tons per year. Leading producing areas are India (with over three-quarters of the global"
"but is usually the most potent toxin in the mixture. It is a convulsant, producing symptoms similar to picrotoxin, with which it shares a similar mechanism of action. (Dioscorine is not to be confused with dioscorin, the yam storage protein.) Dioscorine was first isolated from the tubers of ""Dioscorea hirsute"" by Boorsma in 1894, and the tubers of ""Dioscorea hispida"" by Levya and Gutierrez in 1937. It was obtained in a crystalline condition by Schutte. In tropical lands, tubers from varieties of these species are eaten, but the alkaloid-bearing species are of toxicological interest because of their poisoning abilities. Dioscorine"
"to livestock or provided as birdseed. While some seeds are edible, others are harmful, poisonous or deadly. Plants and seeds often contain chemical compounds to discourage herbivores and seed predators. In some cases, these compounds simply taste bad (such as in mustard), but other compounds are toxic or break down into toxic compounds within the digestive system. Children, being smaller than adults, are more susceptible to poisoning by plants and seeds. A deadly poison, ricin, comes from seeds of the castor bean. Reported lethal doses are anywhere from two to eight seeds, though only a few deaths have been reported"
"to the southeastern Mediterranean Basin, Eastern Africa, and India, but is widespread throughout tropical regions (and widely grown elsewhere as an ornamental plant). Castor seed is the source of castor oil, which has a wide variety of uses. The seeds contain between 40% and 60% oil that is rich in triglycerides, mainly ricinolein. The seed also contains ricin, a water-soluble toxin, which is also present in lower concentrations throughout the plant. An unrelated plant species, ""Fatsia japonica"" (false castor oil plant), is similar in appearance but is from Japan. ""Ricinus communis"" can vary greatly in its growth habit and appearance."
"nylon, pharmaceuticals and perfumes. Castor oil is well known as a source of ricinoleic acid, a monounsaturated, 18-carbon fatty acid. Among fatty acids, ricinoleic acid is unusual in that it has a hydroxyl functional group on the 12th carbon. This functional group causes ricinoleic acid (and castor oil) to be more polar than most fats. The chemical reactivity of the alcohol group also allows chemical derivatization that is not possible with most other seed oils. Because of its ricinoleic acid content, castor oil is a valuable chemical in feedstocks, commanding a higher price than other seed oils. As an example,"
"Clostridium botulinum Clostridium botulinum is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped, anaerobic, spore-forming, motile bacterium with the ability to produce the neurotoxin botulinum. The botulinum toxin can cause a severe flaccid paralytic disease in humans and other animals and is the most potent toxin known to mankind, natural or synthetic, with a lethal dose of 1.3–2.1 ng/kg in humans. ""C. botulinum"" is a diverse group of pathogenic bacteria initially grouped together by their ability to produce botulinum toxin and now known as four distinct groups, ""C. botulinum"" groups I-IV. ""C. botulinum"" groups I-IV, as well as some strains of ""Clostridium butyricum"" and ""Clostridium"
"""Ricinus communis"" are commonly crushed to extract castor oil. As ricin is not oil-soluble, little is found in the extracted castor oil. The extracted oil is also heated to more than 80 °C to denature any ricin that may be present. The remaining spent crushed seeds, called variously the “cake”, “oil cake”, and “press cake”, can contain up to 5% ricin. While the oil cake from coconut, peanuts, and sometimes cotton seeds can be used as either cattle feed and/or fertilizer, the toxic nature of castor beans precludes their oil cake from being used as feed unless the ricin is"
"Tracheal cytotoxin Tracheal cytotoxin (TCT) is a 921 dalton glycopeptide released by ""Bordetella pertussis"" and ""Neisseria gonorrhoeae"". In 1980, it was discovered that ""B. pertussis"" could attach to hamster tracheal epithelial (HTE) cells, and also, that the supernatant from the cultured bacterium could disrupt the cell cycle of uninfected cells. This prompted the scientists W. E. Goldman, D. G. Klapper, and J. B. Baseman to isolate and characterize a novel substance from ""B. pertussis"" supernatant. The novel disaccharide tetrapeptide that they had purified showed toxicity for HTE cells and tracheal ring cultures. Subsequently, they named the newly sequestered molecule tracheal"
"confounding factors. Citrinin is a toxin that was first isolated from ""Penicillium citrinum"", but has been identified in over a dozen species of ""Penicillium"" and several species of ""Aspergillus"". Some of these species are used to produce human foodstuffs such as cheese (""Penicillium camemberti""), sake, miso, and soy sauce (""Aspergillus oryzae""). Citrinin is associated with yellowed rice disease in Japan and acts as a nephrotoxin in all animal species tested. Although it is associated with many human foods (wheat, rice, corn, barley, oats, rye, and food colored with Monascus pigment) its full significance for human health is unknown. Citrinin can"
"order to isolate effects of other channels. Additionally, different forms of bungarotoxin may be useful for studying inhibited nAChRs and their resultant calcium ion flow in different systems of the body. For example, α-bungarotoxin is specific for nAChRs found in the musculature and κ-bungarotoxin is specific for nAChRs found in neurons. Caramboxin (CBX) is a toxin found in star fruit (""Averrhoa carambola)"". Individuals with some types of kidney disease are susceptible to adverse neurological effects including intoxication, seizures and even death after eating star fruit or drinking juice made of this fruit. Caramboxin is a new nonpeptide amino acid toxin"
"a saponin known as Wisterin, sometimes called Wistarin, in the bark, branches, pods, roots, and seeds. There is debate over whether the flowers are toxic. An unknown and toxic resin is present as well. Poisoning from the plant can occur from ingestion of 1 to 2 seed pods and results in mild to severe gastroenteritis, nausea, frequent vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. This can result in dehydration and collapse in serious cases; recovery generally occurs within 24 hours. The concentration of toxins varies in all segments of the plant and varies during different seasons. Wisterin's structure has been shown to"
"but have already produced toxin, which are ingested). It can be caused by ""Staphylococcus aureus"" toxins, for example. ""Botulinum"" neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the causative agents of the deadly food poisoning disease botulism, and could pose a major biological warfare threat due to their extreme toxicity and ease of production. They also serve as powerful tools to treat an ever expanding list of medical conditions. ""Clostridium tetani"" produces tetanus toxin (TeNT protein), which leads to a fatal condition known as tetanus in many vertebrates (including humans) and invertebrates. Immune evasion proteins from ""Staphylococcus aureus"" have a significant conservation of protein structures"
"a pale yellow non-edible oil, called ""argemone oil"" or ""katkar oil"", which contains the toxic alkaloids sanguinarine and dihydrosanguinarine. Four quaternary isoquinoline alkaloids, dehydrocorydalmine, jatrorrhizine, columbamine, and oxyberberine, have been isolated from the whole plant of ""Argemone mexicana"". The seed pods secrete a pale yellow latex when cut open. This argemone resin contains berberine and protopine. The seeds resemble the seeds of ""Brassica nigra"" (mustard). As a result, mustard can be adulterated by argemone seeds, rendering it poisonous. Several significant instances of katkar poisoning have been reported in India, Fiji, South Africa and other countries. The last major outbreak in"
"be eaten in large quantities because they contain significant concentrations of the extremely toxic chemical carboxyatratyloside. The mature plant also contains at least four other toxins. The Zuni people use the ""canadense"" variety for multiple purposes. The chewed seeds are rubbed onto the body before the cactus ceremony to protect it from spines. A compound poultice of seeds is applied to wounds or used to remove splinters. The seeds are also ground, mixed with cornmeal, made into cakes, and steamed for food. Xanthium strumarium Xanthium strumarium (rough cocklebur, clotbur, common cocklebur, large cocklebur, woolgarie bur) is a species of annual"
"Botulinum toxin Botulinum toxin (BTX) is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium ""Clostridium botulinum"" and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endings at the neuromuscular junction and thus causes flaccid paralysis. Infection with the bacterium causes the disease botulism. The toxin is also used commercially in medicine, cosmetics and research. Botulinum is the most acutely lethal toxin known, with an estimated human median lethal dose (LD) of 1.3–2.1 ng/kg intravenously or intramuscularly and 10–13 ng/kg when inhaled. There are eight types of botulinum toxin, named type A–H. Types A and B are capable"
"quality and to be safe for consumers to eat. The vaccine works by stimulating the pig's immune system to produce specific antibodies against gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This temporarily inhibits testes function and thus stops the production and accumulation of boar taint–causing compounds. By stimulating production of antibodies specific to GnRH, the vaccine stops the chain of events that lead to the release of testosterone and other steroids from the testes, including androstenone, one of the two causes of boar taint. The other major taint-causing compound, skatole, is also eliminated because the lower steroid levels allow the liver to more efficiently"
"a toxic fatty acid derivative, persin, which in sufficient quantity can cause colic in horses and without veterinary treatment, death. The symptoms include gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory distress, congestion, fluid accumulation around the tissues of the heart, and even death. Birds also seem to be particularly sensitive to this toxic compound. A line of premium dog and cat food, AvoDerm, uses oils and meal made from avocado meat as main ingredients. The manufacturer says the avocado's leaves and pit are the source of toxicity, and only in the Guatemalan variety of avocados, and the fruit is often eaten by"
"soup is flavored with tarragon. ""cis""-Pellitorin, an isobutyramide eliciting a pungent taste, has been isolated from the tarragon plant. ""A. dracunculus"" oil contained predominantly phenylpropanoids such as methyl chavicol (16.2%) and methyl eugenol (35.8%). Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of the essential oil revealed the presence of ""trans""-anethole (21.1%), α-""trans""-ocimene (20.6%), limonene (12.4%), α-pinene (5.1%), ""allo""-ocimene (4.8%), methyl eugenol (2.2%), β-pinene (0.8%), α-terpinolene (0.5%), bornyl acetate (0.5%) and bicyclogermacrene (0.5%) as the main components. The organic compound capillin was initially isolated from ""Artemisia capillaris"" in 1956. James Andrew Beard American cookbook author, teacher, syndicated columnist and television personality was quoted as"
"which are known for their high levels of toxicity to humans. For example, most of the people of Jonestown died when Jim Jones, the leader of a religious sect, organized a mass suicide by drinking a cocktail of diazepam and cyanide in 1978. Sufficient doses of some plants like the belladonna family, castor beans, ""Jatropha curcas"" and others, are also toxic. Poisoning through the means of toxic plants is usually slower and is relatively painful. Worldwide, 30% of suicides are from pesticide poisonings. The use of this method, however, varies markedly in different areas of the world, from 4% in"
"Castor oil Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans. The name probably comes from its use as a replacement for castoreum. Castor oil is a colourless to very pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is and its density is 961 kg/m. It is a triglyceride in which approximately 90 percent of fatty acid chains are ricinoleates. Oleate and linoleates are the other significant components. Castor oil and its derivatives are used in the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, hydraulic and brake fluids, paints, dyes, coatings, inks, cold resistant plastics, waxes and polishes,"