Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Plant Source Foods
Published in Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy, Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy
Seeds are small embryonic plants enclosed in a coat, the product of the ripened ovule of flowering plants after pollination and the completion of the reproduction process (153). Seeds are made of complex matrices in the outer layer and germ, and rich in minerals, oils, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and antioxidants that protect the plant’s DNA from oxidative stress, thus facilitating the perpetuation of the species. Some edible seeds are: flaxseed (linseed), sesame seed, chia seed, quinoa seed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, and hemp seed. Sunflower seed, rapeseed, and cottonseed are used commercially in the production of oils. However, some seeds, such as castor seed of the plant Ricinus communis, seed of the strychnine tree, and seeds of bitter almond, peach, and apricot, are toxic. Ricin, a water-soluble lectin present in castor seed, is highly toxic and can cause death if consumed (154). In contrast, castor oil extracted from castor seed is not toxic and can be used in food additives or in pharmacy as a laxative because ricin is not soluble in castor oil. Seed of the strychnine (Strychnos nux-vomica) tree can cause deadly convulsion. Seeds of bitter almond, apricot, and peach, containing amygdalin, may cause cyanide poisoning with high intake. Except for some particular cases cited above, most seeds frequently consumed such as flaxseed, sesame seed, chia seed, and quinoa seed, are good for health.
The Smallpox Story
Published in Rae-Ellen W. Kavey, Allison B. Kavey, Viral Pandemics, 2020
Rae-Ellen W. Kavey, Allison B. Kavey
Meanwhile, the United States developed its own extensive bioweapons program beginning as early as World War I when tests of two methods for dissemination of ricin, the deadly by-product of castor beans, were conducted; neither delivery method was perfected before the war in Europe ended. To this day, there is no antidote for ricin toxicity. Although this early American effort was unsuccessful, it signaled the serious early intent of the military to develop bioweapons. When World War II erupted, the official US government position was that biological weapons were impractical, and as late as 1941, the US had no biological weapons capability despite knowledge of the growing offensive programs in Russia and Japan. President Franklin Roosevelt approved development of a biological warfare program in November of 1942 and in response, the US Army Biological Warfare Labs were established at Fort Detrick, Maryland in the spring of 1943. Within 6 months, a high-security biological weapons facility was completed, followed by construction of multiple satellites. Galvanized by reports that the Germans were preparing a pilotless biological weapon for use against the Allies, the American team coordinated with Canada and Britain to develop bombs to be filled with anthrax spores that could be dropped from planes. While safety testing was still going on, the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and that ultimately led to the end of the war. Germany was subsequently found to have no weapons systems for delivery of biological weapons.74
Clinical Trial Design and Concepts Specific for Biologic Agents in the Treatment of Rheumatic Diseases
Published in Thomas F. Kresina, Monoclonal Antibodies, Cytokines, and Arthritis, 2020
CD5 Plus is an immunoconjugate composed of a murine IgG1 monoclonal antibody to the cell surface antigen CD5 linked to the A chain of ricin, a protein synthesis inhibitor. Ricin is a naturally occurring toxin, purified from castor beans. During manufacture the A chain is isolated from the B chain, which attaches to the cell surface and mediates internalization of the ricin molecule. In effect, the monoclonal antibody is substituted for the B chain, and thus confers specificity to the toxin moeity. The CD5 antigen is present on 95-97% of mature peripheral T cells in humans, as well as a small population of B cells which may play a role in autoantibody production. CD5 Plus is selectively cytotoxic in vitro for mature human T cells in the nanogram per milliliter concentration range. Its cytotoxic effect upon CD5+ cells is three to four logs greater than the ricin A chain itself or other immunoconjugates comprised of antibodies to other cell surface antigens (21).
Near-fatal poisoning after ricin injection
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2021
Fábio Bucaretchi, Carla F. Borrasca-Fernandes, Camila C. Prado, Rafael Lanaro, José Luiz Costa, Otávio M. Petroni, Tiago Giraldi, Maria Heloísa S. L. Blotta, Amauri S. Justo-Junior, Natália L. Sousa, Francisco J. L. Aragão, Eduardo M. De Capitani, Stephen Hyslop
In this report, we describe a near-fatal poisoning after intentional parenteral injection with a castor bean extract prepared using a recipe obtained from the internet. The patient was successfully treated with symptomatic and supportive measures. In addition to monitoring the clinical course of intoxication, we estimated the amount of ricin A-chain injected, assessed the ricin A-chain and ricinine levels in serum and urine, and undertook serial quantifications of serum interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. We also summarize other reports of ricin poisoning in the literature and compare them with the present case.
Pathophysiological profile of awake and anesthetized pigs following systemic exposure to the highly lethal ricin toxin
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2022
Reut Falach, Michael Goldvaser, Pinchas Halpern, Amir Rosner, Anita Sapoznikov, Yoav Gal, Orr Goren, Tamar Sabo, Chanoch Kronman, Shahaf Katalan
Ricin, a highly toxic protein isolated from the castor plant Ricinus communis, exerts its noxious effect by site-specific depurination of ribosomal 28S rRNA, which in turn leads to cessation of protein synthesis and cell death. Ricin is considered a bioterror threat of concern due to worldwide availability in large quantities, its ease of preparation, and long-term stability. Exposure to ricin can occur by oral ingestion, inhalation or parenteral administration, though the features of poisoning and severity of toxicity vary markedly with the route of exposure.
Abstracts book
Published in Acta Clinica Belgica, 2020
The seeds of the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis) contain ricin toxin, a ribosome-inactivating protein. It is one of the most potent toxic biologic agents and intoxication can occur from inhalation, injection or ingestion. Routine toxicology tests do not screen for this toxin. Ricinine, an alkaloid extracted from the same bean, is used as a surrogate marker for ricin exposure since ricin itself is not measurable in the routine clinical setting [1]. We report a case of an intentional ricin poisoning with castor beans, purchased on the internet.