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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.
The fruit is a spiny, greenish (to reddish-purple) capsule containing large, oval, shiny, bean-like, highly poisonous seeds with variable brownish mottling. Castor seeds have a warty appendage called the caruncle, which is a type of elaiosome. The caruncle promotes the dispersal of the seed by ants (myrmecochory).
The castor seed contains ricin, a toxic lectin. Heating during the oil extraction process denatures and deactivates the lectin. Harvesting castor beans, though, may not be without risk. [58] The International Castor Oil Association FAQ document states that castor beans contain an allergenic compound called CB1A.
Castor bean has bold, tropical-looking foliage and spiny capsules. At maturity, the capsules split open to reveal tan seeds marbled with dark brown, which contain the potent toxin ricin.
According to the 2007 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, the castor oil plant is the most poisonous in the world, though its cousin abrin, found in the seeds of the jequirity plant, is arguably more lethal. Castor oil, long used as a laxative, muscle rub, and in cosmetics, is made from the seeds, but the ricin protein is denatured ...
Ricinine is a toxic alkaloid found in the castor plant. [2] 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.
Stillmark isolated ricin, an extremely toxic hemagglutinin, from seeds of the castor plant (Ricinus communis). The first lectin to be purified on a large scale and available on a commercial basis was concanavalin A, which is now the most-used lectin for characterization and purification of sugar-containing molecules and cellular structures. [36]
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