The antitumor effect of combinations of the toxic proteins ricin and abrin with other drugs was studied in mice with systemic L1210 leukemia. Ricin was tested in combination with daunorubicin, c/s-dichlorodiammineplatinum(ll), or vincristine, and abrin was tested in combination with Adriamycin. The antileukemic effect of the regimens was gauged by assaying the life span of tumor-bearing animals...

seeds of the castor bean plant ricinuscommunis l (cb) contain ricin toxin (rt), one of the most poisonous naturally-occurring substances known. ricin toxin, a water-soluble glycoprotein that does not partition into the oil extract, is a ribosome-inactivating toxin composed of two chains, labeled a and b. severity of the toxicity varies depending on the route of exposure to the toxin. inhalation...

We have foulld that the antioxidant Nacetylcysteine (NAC) strongly inhibited ricin-induced apoptotic cell death in U937 cells (human myeloid leukemia), as judged by cytotoxicity, nuclear morphological change, and DNA fragmentation. Consistent with these observations, a significant depletion of cel}ular glutathiene was observed i" ricin-treated cells, and NAC prevented the decrease in cellular

In recent years there has been an increased concern regarding the potential use of chemical and biological weapons for mass urban terror. In particular, there are concerns that ricin could be employed as such an agent. This has been reinforced by recent high profile cases involving ricin, and its use during the cold war to assassinate a high profile communist dissident. Nevertheless, despite th...

Adult T cell leukemia (ATL) is an almost uniformly fatal malignancy of mature T cells associated with human T cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection. Cells from this leukemia are characterized by the expression of large numbers of receptors for interleukin 2 (IL-2). In an attempt to prepare an immunotoxin with selective cytotoxicity for ATL cells, we conjugated anti-Tac, a monoc...

We report a paper-based assay platform for detection of ricin a chain. The paper platform is assembled by simple origami paper folding. The sensor is based on quantitative, electrochemical detection of silver nanoparticle labels linked to a magnetic microbead support via a ricin immunosandwich. Importantly, ricin was detected at concentrations as low as 34 pM. Additionally, the assay is robust,...

The lectin binding characteristics of goldfish retinal explants were examined by fluorescence microscopy. Neurites grown out from cultured retinal explants were found to bind concanavalin A, wheat germ agglutinin and ricin (agglutinin). The effects of tissue fixation on lectin binding to retinal explant neurites suggest that glycolipids may constitute the predominant ricin binding sites. A redu...

Biotoxin activity assays typically involve multistep sample preparation, multicomponent reactions, multistep analysis, or a combination thereof. We report a single-step, real-time ricin activity assay that requires little or no sample preparation and employs direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry. The release of adenine from the inhomogeneous substrate herring sperm DNA by ricin was det...

Seeds of the castor bean plant Ricinuscommunis L (CB) contain ricin toxin (RT), one of the most poisonous naturally-occurring substances known. Ricin toxin, a water-soluble glycoprotein that does not partition into the oil extract, is a ribosome-inactivating toxin composed of two chains, labeled A and B. Severity of the toxicity varies depending on the route of exposure to the toxin. Inhalation...