1
|
Chen Y, Liu J, Song T, Zou X, Li L, Nie Q, Zhang P. Gaps in forensic toxicological analysis: The veiled abrin. Toxicon 2024; 242:107684. [PMID: 38513827 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.107684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Abrus precatorius is an herbaceous, flowering plant that is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Its toxic component, known as abrin, is classified as one of the potentially significant biological warfare agents and bioterrorism tools due to its high toxicity. Abrin poisoning can be utilized to cause accidents, suicides, and homicides, which necessitates attention from clinicians and forensic scientists. Although a few studies have recently identified the toxicological and pharmacological mechanisms of abrin, the exact mechanism remains unclear. Furthermore, the clinical symptoms and pathological changes induced by abrin poisoning have not been fully characterized, and there is a lack of standardized methods for identifying biological samples of the toxin. Therefore, there is an urgent need for further toxicopathologic studies and the development of detection methods for abrin in the field of forensic medicine. This review provides an overview of the clinical symptoms, pathological changes, metabolic changes, toxicologic mechanisms, and detection methods of abrin poisoning from the perspective of forensic toxicology. Additionally, the evidence on abrin in the field of forensic toxicology and forensic pathology is discussed. Overall, this review serves as a reference for understanding the toxicological mechanism of abrin, highlighting the clinical applications of the toxin, and aiding in the diagnosis and forensic identification of toxin poisoning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yinyu Chen
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine), Hainan Provincial Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, China
| | - Jiaqi Liu
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital, International School of Public Health and One Health, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 570102, China
| | - Tao Song
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine), Hainan Provincial Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, China
| | - Xing Zou
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine), Hainan Provincial Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, China
| | - Leilei Li
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine), Hainan Provincial Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, China
| | - Qianyun Nie
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine and Life Sciences, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, China; Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 570102, China.
| | - Peng Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Provincial Academician Workstation (tropical forensic medicine), Hainan Provincial Tropical Forensic Engineering Research Center, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Janik E, Ceremuga M, Saluk-Bijak J, Bijak M. Biological Toxins as the Potential Tools for Bioterrorism. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E1181. [PMID: 30857127 PMCID: PMC6429496 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20051181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological toxins are a heterogeneous group produced by living organisms. One dictionary defines them as "Chemicals produced by living organisms that have toxic properties for another organism". Toxins are very attractive to terrorists for use in acts of bioterrorism. The first reason is that many biological toxins can be obtained very easily. Simple bacterial culturing systems and extraction equipment dedicated to plant toxins are cheap and easily available, and can even be constructed at home. Many toxins affect the nervous systems of mammals by interfering with the transmission of nerve impulses, which gives them their high potential in bioterrorist attacks. Others are responsible for blockage of main cellular metabolism, causing cellular death. Moreover, most toxins act very quickly and are lethal in low doses (LD50 < 25 mg/kg), which are very often lower than chemical warfare agents. For these reasons we decided to prepare this review paper which main aim is to present the high potential of biological toxins as factors of bioterrorism describing the general characteristics, mechanisms of action and treatment of most potent biological toxins. In this paper we focused on six most danger toxins: botulinum toxin, staphylococcal enterotoxins, Clostridium perfringens toxins, ricin, abrin and T-2 toxin. We hope that this paper will help in understanding the problem of availability and potential of biological toxins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edyta Janik
- Department of General Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Pomorska 141/143, 90-236 Lodz, Poland.
| | - Michal Ceremuga
- CBRN Reconnaissance and Decontamination Department, Military Institute of Chemistry and Radiometry, Antoniego Chrusciela "Montera" 105, 00-910 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Joanna Saluk-Bijak
- Department of General Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Pomorska 141/143, 90-236 Lodz, Poland.
| | - Michal Bijak
- Department of General Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Pomorska 141/143, 90-236 Lodz, Poland.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Transcriptome Analysis of C. elegans Reveals Novel Targets for DON Cytotoxicity. Toxins (Basel) 2018; 10:toxins10070262. [PMID: 29954091 PMCID: PMC6071042 DOI: 10.3390/toxins10070262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium spp. that causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) disease in cereal crops. Ingestion of food contaminated with DON poses serious human health complications. However, the DON cytotoxicity has been mostly deduced from animal studies. In this study, we used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a tractable animal model to dissect the toxic effect of DON. Our results indicate that DON reduces the fecundity and lifespan of C. elegans. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis showed that DON upregulates innate immunity-related genes including C17H12.8 and K08D8.5 encoding PMK-1 (mitogen activated protein kinase-1)-regulated immune effectors, and F35E12.5 encoding a CUB-like domain-containing protein. Furthermore, our RNAseq data demonstrate that out of ~17,000 C. elegans genes, 313 are upregulated and 166 were downregulated by DON treatment. Among the DON-upregulated genes, several are ugt genes encoding UDP-glucuronosyl transferase (UGTs) which are known to be involved in chemical detoxification. The three upregulated genes, F52F10.4 (oac-32), C10H11.6 (ugt-26) and C10H11.4 (ugt-28) encoding the O-acyltransferase homolog, UGT26 and UGT 28, respectively, are shown to contribute to DON tolerance by a RNAi bacterial feeding experiment. The results of this study provide insights to the targets of DON cytotoxicity and potential mitigation measures.
Collapse
|
4
|
Sant B, Rao PVL, Nagar DP, Pant SC, Bhasker ASB. Evaluation of abrin induced nephrotoxicity by using novel renal injury markers. Toxicon 2017; 131:20-28. [PMID: 28288935 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2017.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2016] [Revised: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Abrin is a potent plant toxin analogous to ricin that is derived from the seeds of Abrus precatorius plant. It belongs to the family of type II ribosome-inactivating proteins and causes cell death by irreversibly inactivating ribosomes through site-specific depurination. In this study we examined the in vivo nephrotoxicity potential of abrin toxin in terms of oxidative stress, inflammation, histopathological changes and biomarkers of kidney injury. Animals were exposed to 0.5 and 1.0 LD50 dose of abrin by intraperitoneal route and observed for 1, 3, and 7 day post-toxin exposure. Depletion of reduced glutathione and increased lipid peroxidation levels were observed in abrin treated mice. In addition, abrin also induced inflammation in the kidneys as observed through expression of MMP-9 and MMP-9/NGAL complex in abrin treated groups by using zymography method. Nephrotoxicity was also evaluated by western blot analysis of kidney injury biomarkers including Clusterin, Cystatin C and NGAL, and their results indicate severity of kidney injury in abrin treated groups. Kidney histology confirmed inflammatory changes due to abrin. The data generated in the present study clearly prove the nephrotoxicity potential of abrin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bhavana Sant
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Jhansi Road, Gwalior 474002, India
| | - P V Lakshmana Rao
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Jhansi Road, Gwalior 474002, India
| | - D P Nagar
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Jhansi Road, Gwalior 474002, India
| | - S C Pant
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Jhansi Road, Gwalior 474002, India
| | - A S B Bhasker
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Jhansi Road, Gwalior 474002, India.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Bhasker ASB, Sant B, Yadav P, Agrawal M, Lakshmana Rao PV. Plant toxin abrin induced oxidative stress mediated neurodegenerative changes in mice. Neurotoxicology 2014; 44:194-203. [PMID: 25010655 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2014.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2014] [Revised: 06/20/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abrin is a potent plant toxin. It is a heterodimeric protein toxin which is obtained from the seeds of Abrus precatorius plant. At cellular level abrin causes protein synthesis inhibition by removing the specific adenine residue (A4324) from the 28s rRNA of the 60S - ribosomal subunit. In the present study we investigated the role of oxidative stress in neurotoxic potential and demyelinating effects of abrin on brain. The mechanism by which abrin induces oxidative damage and toxicity in brain are relatively unknown. Animals were exposed to 0.4 and 1.0 LD50 abrin dose by intraperitoneal route and observed for 1 and 3 day post-toxin exposure. Oxidative stress occurred in brain due to abrin was confirmed in terms of increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione depletion and increased lipid peroxidation. Significant increase in blood and brain ROS was observed at day 3, 1 LD50. Abrin induced changes in the neurotransmitters (5-hydroxy tryptamine, norepinephrine, dopamine and monoamine oxidase) levels were evaluated by spectroflourometry. Increase in the levels of 5-HT and NE was observed after abrin exposure. MAO activity was found to be decreased in abrin exposed animals compared to control. Significant inhibition in the activity of acetylcholine esterase enzyme in brain and serum was reported for both the doses and time points. Western blot analysis of iNOS expression indicated that abrin treatment resulted in dose and time dependent increase. Furthermore, protein expression of myelin basic protein (MBP) was down regulated in a dose and time dependent manner. Brain histopathology was carried out and cortical brain region showed demyelination after abrin exposure. Results confirmed that abrin poisoning leads to neurodegeneration and neurotoxicity mediated through oxidative stress, AChE inhibition, lipid peroxidation and decrease in MBP levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A S B Bhasker
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Jhansi Road, Gwalior 474002, India.
| | - Bhavana Sant
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Jhansi Road, Gwalior 474002, India
| | - Preeti Yadav
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Jhansi Road, Gwalior 474002, India
| | - Mona Agrawal
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Jhansi Road, Gwalior 474002, India
| | - P V Lakshmana Rao
- DRDO-BU Center for Life Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, India
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhang X, Kuča K, Dohnal V, Dohnalová L, Wu Q, Wu C. Military potential of biological toxins. J Appl Biomed 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jab.2014.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
|
7
|
Saxena N, Yadav P, Kumar O. The Fas/Fas ligand apoptotic pathway is involved in abrin-induced apoptosis. Toxicol Sci 2013; 135:103-18. [PMID: 23788630 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kft139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abrin is a plant glycoprotein toxin from the seeds of Abrus precatorius, sharing similarity in structure and properties with ricin. Abrin is highly toxic, with an estimated human fatal dose of 0.1-1 µg/kg, causing death after accidental or intentional poisoning. It is a potent biological toxin warfare agent. There is no chemical antidote available against the abrin. The elucidation of molecular mechanism of abrin-induced cell death is important for development of therapy. Intrinsic pathway-mediated apoptosis has been well established in abrin-induced cell death. However, the detailed mechanism especially extrinsic receptor-mediated pathway remains uncharacterized. To assess whether some of the apoptosis known to occur after abrin exposure might be mediated by Fas/Fas ligand (Fas L) interactions, we analyzed effect of abrin on Fas pathway in Jurkat cells. Here, we report that activation of the Fas pathway is involved in abrin-induced apoptosis. Following treatment of abrin, Fas L was induced, which stimulated the Fas pathway by cross-linking Fas receptor (Fas R). Apoptosis was mediated by cleavage of the Fas R proximal caspase-8 and the downstream caspase-3, resulting in activation of the prototype caspase substrate poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase and caspase-activated DNase. Blocking Fas L/Fas R interaction by using Fas inhibitor reduced abrin-induced apoptosis, further confirms involvement of Fas pathway. Activation of components of Fas pathway and caspases upon abrin treatment was also found in splenocytes in mice. Our findings offer new perspective for understanding the fundamental mechanism in abrin-induced apoptotic mechanism and may have implication in developing novel therapeutic strategies in the management for abrin-induced complications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nandita Saxena
- Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Defence Research Development & Establishment, Defence Research Development Organization, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh 474002, India.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|