Ricin as a weapon of mass terror — Separating fact from fiction

Ugly Duckling or a Swan: Exploring therapeutic potential of Ricin for inhibiting unwanted hair growth

“…Though ricin and related cytotoxic lectin abrin were considered to be dermally inactive, the observations of the present study suggest that they have potential to induce hair follicle dystrophy resulting into reduced rate and altered character of hair regrowth, keeping all other skin structures intact. Present study corroborates earlier findings [8] that cytotoxic lectins like ricin are not completely dermally inactive as perceived [5] [7] but instead inhibit the growth of hair follicle, keeping all other skin structures intact. The present findings provide a rationale for further investigations using hair follicle as a dynamic regenerative mini-organ with a cyclic growth pattern, to determine the dermal role of ricin and related proteins, as a model for programmed organ deletion.…”

“…So far, ricin was considered to be a toxic waste product of castor oil industry with no therapeutic value. Moreover, in spite of numerous reports and articles denying it having any such potential to be weaponized [6] [7], it is perceived to be a weapon of mass destruction, labeled as an ugly duckling and classified as Category B select agent [28]. With this new-found therapeutic potential by dermal route, this ugly duckling has matured and begun to look a little more like a swan.…”

“…However, earlier reports indicated that amount of ricin absorbed through skin is so negligible that it is considered to be dermally inactive [5], as no dermal toxicity was observed at 50 μg/spot during skin tests on mice [6]. Therefore, toxicity by this route is suggested to be unachievable by Schep et al [7]. Earlier studies using crude ricinus extracts and purified ricin [8] had indicated that ricin inhibits hair growth when applied topically.…”

Ricin Perspective in Bioterrorism

“…Furthermore, dispersal of ricin on a wide scale is logistically impractical. Thus, while ricin is easy to produce, it is not as likely to cause as many casualties as other agents (Schep et al, 2009). However, it has been the agent of choice in numerous biocrimes (see below).…”

Galactose-functionalized Magnetic Iron-oxide Nanoparticles for Enrichment and Detection of Ricin Toxin

“…1,2 It is a member of class II ribosome-inactivating protein derived from castor beans (Ricinus communis seeds). In its structure two chains are linked by a disulfide bond.…”