Forensic Determination of Ricin and the Alkaloid Marker Ricinine From Castor Bean Extracts

Darby, Shauna M.; Miller, Mark L.; Allen, Ralph O.

doi:10.1520/jfs15097j

Cited by 103 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…An animal study verified that ricinine can be monitored in urine up to 48 hr after exposure. 5,12 It may be that the dog with the lower concentration of ricinine at the time of death had a lower initial exposure to the toxin. However, it also seems plausible that the dog could have metabolized or excreted more of the biomarker because it lived longer postexposure.…”

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confidence: 99%

Lethal Ricin Intoxication in Two Adult Dogs: Toxicologic and Histopathologic Findings

Roels

Coopman²,

Vanhaelen³

et al. 2010

J VET Diagn Invest

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Abstract. Two adult dogs with the same owner were intoxicated by ingestion of fertilizer composed of residual plant material of the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis L.). Both dogs died within 2 and 3 days, respectively, after the first signs of vomiting and abundant hemorrhagic diarrhea. Toxicologic and histopathologic examinations were performed on different organs. Histopathologic examination of the kidneys revealed tubular degeneration and necrosis and membranous glomerulonephritis. Additionally, myocardial degeneration with localized inflammation, lymphoid necrosis, and depletion in the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes and hemorrhagic ulcerative gastroenteritis were found. The 2 cases could be used to elucidate the lethal dose of ricin and the histopathologic lesions in dogs.

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confidence: 99%

Lethal Ricin Intoxication in Two Adult Dogs: Toxicologic and Histopathologic Findings

Roels

Coopman²,

Vanhaelen³

et al. 2010

J VET Diagn Invest

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“…1,2,[9][10][11]14,18 Low mortality restricts assessment of histologic lesions, and toxicologic testing for ricin exposure has been limited, primarily based on the large size of the molecule. 11 Extraction of ricinine, an alkaloid with low molecular weight present in all parts of the castor bean plant, 5,6,13 provides a biomarker for exposure to castor bean extracts and, therefore, exposure to the toxic lectin, ricin. 5,11 This report describes the findings in a fatal case of castor bean ingestion in a puppy, with confirmation of ricin exposure through the detection of the biomarker ricinine by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The two most common methods to detect ricin in blood or bodily fluids are radioimmunoassay (RIA) and ELISA. 5 These immunological assays are not suitable for testing gastrointestinal contents or other matrices for which the assays have not been validated. In addition, it is known that ricin is quickly metabolized before excretion and may be missed in samples such as blood or urine.…”

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confidence: 99%

Fatal Ricin Toxicosis in a Puppy Confirmed by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry when Using Ricinine as a Marker

et al. 2007

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Abstract. Ricin, a lectin from the castor bean plant (Ricinis communis), is considered one of the most potent plant toxins. Ingestion of masticated seeds results in high morbidity, with vomiting and watery to hemorrhagic diarrhea. The prognosis varies with the number of seeds ingested, the degree of mastication, individual susceptibility, and the delay in treatment. Low mortality restricts assessment of histologic lesions, and the literature on toxicologic analysis for ricin is limited. This report describes a fatal case of castor bean ingestion in a 12-week-old Mastiff puppy, with confirmation of ricin exposure through detection of the biomarker ricinine by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Despite supportive therapy, the puppy died several hours after presentation for acute vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. At necropsy, a segment of jejunum and mesenteric lymph nodes were congested. When the owner reported the presence of castor beans in the dog's feces, selected formalin-fixed and unfixed tissues were submitted for diagnostic evaluation. Histopathologic findings included superficial necrotizing enteritis of the jejunum and occasional, random foci of coagulative necrosis in the liver. The alkaloid ricinine was detected in gastric content by using a newly developed LC/MS method. This confirmation of exposure is important in the diagnosis of ricin toxicosis, because ingestion of castor beans is not always fatal, histologic lesions are nonspecific, and the degree of mastication can influence the effective dose of ricin.

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“…24) Ricin is usually determined by immunochemical methods. 22,25) Ricin can be analyzed by LC-MS and MALDI-TOF-MS. 26) Our result 18) showed, from a direct LC-MS analysis, that ricin was detected as a broad tailing peak, giving broadly distributed complex MS peaks centered at m/z 1086. A deconvolution analysis did not give a clear molecular peak.…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 68%

Mass Spectrometric Strategy for the Determination of Natural and Synthetic Organic Toxins

Seto

Kanamori-Kataoka

2005

JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCE

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Organic toxic substances, consisting of natural and synthetic toxins, are diverse in structure and toxicity. In poisoning cases, such toxins can be determined using a variety of analytical methods. Mass spectrometry is superior for obtaining structural information. Low molecular weight (MW) lipophilic toxins can be analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), as exemplified by chemical warfare agents. Low MW polar toxins and metabolites of lipophilic toxins can be also determined by GC-MS after conversion to volatile derivatives. Liquid chromatography (LC)-MS with electrospray ionization (ESI) or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization can be used in the direct analysis for polar low MW toxins, even though the chromatographic peak resolution is low, as exemplified by saxitoxin. Intermediate MW (around 1000) polar toxins can be analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI)-time-of-flight (TOF)-MS and LC-ESI/MS, and the associated MS/MS technique, which permits structural information, such as the peptide sequence to be obtained. High MW proteinous toxins can be also analyzed by LC-MS and MALDI-TOF-MS, as exemplified by staphylococcal enterotoxin B. However, only an approximate MW estimation can be obtained for ricin, because of the difficulty of obtaining accurate MW values, due to the presence of multiple monoisotopic molecular ion peaks and heterogeneity as the result of posttranslational modification. Instead, LC-MS/MS analysis after proteolytic digestion is typically used in the identification of digested intermediate MW peptides and the subsequent sequencing of the ricin protein.

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Forensic Determination of Ricin and the Alkaloid Marker Ricinine From Castor Bean Extracts

Cited by 103 publications

References 22 publications

Lethal Ricin Intoxication in Two Adult Dogs: Toxicologic and Histopathologic Findings

Lethal Ricin Intoxication in Two Adult Dogs: Toxicologic and Histopathologic Findings

Fatal Ricin Toxicosis in a Puppy Confirmed by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry when Using Ricinine as a Marker

Mass Spectrometric Strategy for the Determination of Natural and Synthetic Organic Toxins

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