Ricin
Ricin is a poison. It is a highly toxic, naturally occurring protein. It is produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant Ricinus communis.
A dose of ricin the size of a few grains of table salt can kill an adult human.[1] The median lethal dose (LD50) of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram (1.78 mg for an average adult, around 1⁄228 of a standard aspirin tablet/0.4 g gross) in humans if injected or inhaled.[2] Oral exposure to ricin is far less toxic and a lethal dose can be up to 30–40 milligrams per kilogram.[source?]
Ricin prevents cells from assembling various amino acids into proteins. Death can occur within a few hours or up to a day later.
Ricin has been used as a terrorist weapon, including the assassination of Georgi Markov in 1978, supposedly by the KGB.[source?]
Ricin Media
Alignment of ricin and abrin, based on X-ray structures pdb 2AAI (Ricin) and 1abr (Abrin-A)
Castor beans
Castor oil seeds in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Economic Botany Collection
A metal vial containing ricin from the 2003 ricin letters
Ricin toxin, RiVax, RTA1-33/44-198, and a single domain antibody-antigen complex with the RTA1-33/44-198 immunogen. Original figure can be found in Legler, et al.
References
- ↑ What makes ricin so deadlyAnthony Sabella. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
- ↑ EFSA Scientific Opinion: Ricin (from Ricinus communis) as undesirable substances in animal feed [1] - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food ChainEfsa.europa.eu. Retrieved 2010-09-01.[dead link]