A lethal protein naturally produced in castor beans. In 1994, Robert J. Ferl and Paul C. Sehnke genetically engineered the tobacco plant to produce ricin. Attached to a pharmaceutical “guided missile” such as a monoclonal antibody or the CD4 protein, ricin is potentially useful for treatment against some tumors and has been investigated as a possible treatment against acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
A highly toxic albumin found in the seeds of the castor oil plant.
A highly toxic albumin obtained from castor-oil seeds (Ricinus communis) that inhibits protein synthesis and becomes attached to the surface of cells, resulting in gastroenteritis, hepatic congestion and jaundice, and cardiovascular collapse. It is lethal to most species, even in minute amounts (1 μg/kg body weight); it is most toxic if injected intravenously or inhaled as fine particles.