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Ricin (/ ˈ r aɪ s ɪ n / RY-sin) is a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) and a highly potent toxin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis.The median lethal dose (LD 50) of ricin for mice is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body weight via intraperitoneal injection.
Ricinoleic acid, formally called 12-hydroxy-9-cis-octadecenoic acid, is a fatty acid.It is an unsaturated omega-9 fatty acid [1] and a hydroxy acid.It is a major component of the seed oil obtained from the seeds of castor plant (Ricinus communis L., Euphorbiaceae), the plant that produces ricin.
Biosynthesis, i.e., chemical synthesis occurring in biological contexts, is a term most often referring to multi-step, enzyme-catalyzed processes where chemical substances absorbed as nutrients (or previously converted through biosynthesis) serve as enzyme substrates, with conversion by the living organism either into simpler or more complex ...
It can serve as a biomarker of ricin poisoning. [3] [4] It was first isolated from the castor seeds by Tuson in 1864. [5] [6] Ricinine has insecticidal effects. [7] It sublimes between 170 and 180 °C at 20 mmHg. It does not form salts, and is precipitated in iodine or mercuric chloride solutions, but not in Mayer's reagent. [5]
Many alkaloids dissolve poorly in water but readily dissolve in organic solvents, such as diethyl ether, chloroform or 1,2-dichloroethane. Caffeine , [ 163 ] cocaine , [ 164 ] codeine [ 165 ] and nicotine [ 166 ] are slightly soluble in water (with a solubility of ≥1g/L), whereas others, including morphine [ 167 ] and yohimbine [ 168 ] are ...
An example is ricin, an extremely potent protein toxin found in castor oil beans. [92] This enzyme is a glycosidase that inactivates ribosomes. [ 93 ] Since ricin is a catalytic irreversible inhibitor, this allows just a single molecule of ricin to kill a cell.
Since ricin is a protein, antibodies may be produced by inoculation, allowing resistance of up to 800 times a normal lethal dose. Ricin has been used in assassinations, a notorious case being the use of a 1.53 mm pellet holding a few hundred millionths of a gram of ricin to kill the Bulgarian broadcaster, Georgi Markov , who died 4 days after ...
Batrachotoxin (BTX) is an extremely potent cardiotoxic and neurotoxic steroidal alkaloid found in certain species of beetles, birds, and frogs. The name is from the Greek word βάτραχος, bátrachos, 'frog'. [3]