Knowledge of plant toxin may combat food poisoning

AORN Journal,  June, 2008  

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Knowledge of a newly discovered mechanism of the plant toxin ricin may be helpful for combatting food poisoning episodes, according to a March 6, 2008, news release from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Researchers have discovered that ricin kills cells by a previously unrecognized activity that appears to work with its ability to damage protein synthesis.

Ricin, a plant toxin extracted from castor beans, has been feared as a bioterror agent because it can be purified easily from the waste of castor oil production and there are no known antidotes. It is poisonous if inhaled, ingested, or injected. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and death can result within days of exposure.

If ricin did not first deactivate the cell's defenses, the cell would be able to turn on a stress response to rid itself of the toxin. Researchers believe that knowledge of this mechanism may help them understand other toxins that work in similar ways, including those that cause food poisoning.

Rutgers research reveals how food poisoning and bioterrorism toxins could be tamed [news release]. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University; March 6, 2008. http://news.rutgers.edu/medrel/news-releases/2008/O3/ rutgers-researchrev-20080306/?searchterm=ricin. Accessed April 11, 2008.

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