What is the ld50 of abrin?
The LD50 of abrin for humans has been reported to be from 10 to 1000 μg/kg via oral ingestion and 3.3 μg/kg if injected [18]. In mice, abrin has been shown to be 31.4 times more lethal than ricin at 0.7 μg/kg vs. 22 μg/kg when given intravenously [19].
What is the meaning of abrin?
Abrin is a natural poison that is found in the seeds of a plant called the rosary pea or jequirity pea. These seeds are red with a black spot covering one end. Abrin is similar to ricin, a toxin that also is found in the seeds of a plant (the castor bean plant).
How much abrin is lethal?
Abrin is highly toxic, with an estimated human fatal dose of 0.1-1 microgram/kg, and has caused death after accidental and intentional poisoning.
What is abrin and ricin?
Ricin and abrin are potent biological toxins that are derived from plant sources (castor beans and rosary peas, respectively). More is known about ricin toxicity; however, abrin toxicity is similar in its mechanism of action. In the body, these toxins inhibit protein synthesis leading to cell death.
How much abrin is in a rosary pea?
Abrin, a plant toxin is obtained from Abrus precatorius seeds, commonly known as jequirity beans or rosary peas. A single seed weighs about 100 mg and contains about 5 per cent abrin toxin of its weight1.
Is abrin a secondary metabolite?
Abrin and ricin are secondary metabolites of some plants.
Is abrin more toxic than ricin?
The mechanism of action of abrin is very similar to that of ricin; however, in mice, abrin is 75 times more toxic than that of ricin (0.04 µg/kg for abrin is equivalent to 3 µg/kg of ricin). Similar to ricin, inhalation of abrin is found to be more toxic than ingestion.
Can abrin be detected?
Among the currently used detection methods for abrin, antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) remain the standard technique, and are widely used to detect abrin in environmental and food samples.
Is abrin toxic secondary metabolites?
Abrin and ricin belong to toxic species of the secondary metabolites. It is a toxin that is present inside the seeds of castor oil plants, which are proteinaceous.
Are abrin and ricin alkaloids?
Abrin is a ribosome inhibiting protein like ricin, a toxin which can be found in the seeds of the castor oil plant, and pulchellin, a toxin which can be found in the seeds of Abrus pulchellus. Abrin is classed as a “Select Agent” under U.S. law….Abrin.
| Abrin-a | |
|---|---|
| UniProt | P11140 |
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What happens if you eat a rosary pea?
The entire plant is toxic, but the beans are highly toxic to humans. If eaten, A. precatorius seeds can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Where does rosary pea grow?
Rosary pea is found throughout central and south Florida, and often invades undisturbed pinelands and hammocks. It also has a tendancy to invade distrurbed sites, such as pastures and roadsides.
What is the LD 50 of abrin in mice?
The LD 50 in mice is 0.02 mg/kg, i. p. Ingestion of one chewed or broken seed can be fatal. It is a gastrointestinal toxin; one of the polypeptide chains binds to the intestinal cell membrane, allowing the other chain to enter the cytoplasm. Ribosomal protein synthesis is inhibited, resulting in cell death.
What are the characteristics of the agent abrin?
Agent Characteristics. APPEARANCE: White to yellowish white powder. DESCRIPTION: Abrin is an extremely toxic plant protein derived from the seeds of the plant Abrus precatorius. Abrin, like the similar plant toxin ricin, causes toxicity by inhibiting the formation (synthesis) of proteins in the cells of the exposed individual.
How big is a lethal dose of abrin?
The reported lethal dose of seeds for the horse is approximately 100 mg/kg body mass and for cattle it is reported to be 600 mg/kg body weight. It is likely that abrin is denatured in the rumen. There is limited commercial production of the jequirity bean.
What does LD50 stand for in toxicology category?
For other uses, see LD50 (disambiguation). In toxicology, the median lethal dose, LD50 (abbreviation for ” lethal dose, 50%”), LC50 (lethal concentration, 50%) or LCt50 is a measure of the lethal dose of a toxin, radiation, or pathogen.