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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.
Ricinus communis, the castor bean [1] or castor oil plant, [2] is a species of perennial flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus , Ricinus , and subtribe , Ricininae .
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 ...
Plant hormones, which are secondary metabolites, are often used to regulate the metabolic activity within cells and oversee the overall development of the plant. As mentioned above in the History tab, secondary plant metabolites help the plant maintain an intricate balance with the environment, often adapting to match the environmental needs.
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.
In the acidic extraction, the raw plant material is processed by a weak acidic solution (e.g., acetic acid in water, ethanol, or methanol). A base is then added to convert alkaloids to basic forms that are extracted with organic solvent (if the extraction was performed with alcohol, it is removed first, and the remainder is dissolved in water).
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 ...