Post-Exposure Anti-Ricin Treatment Protects Swine Against Lethal Systemic and Pulmonary Exposures.

Ricin, a plant-derived toxin originating from the seeds of (castor bean plant), is one of the most lethal toxins known. To date, there is no approved post-exposure therapy for ricin exposures. This work demonstrates for the first time the therapeutic efficacy of equine-derived anti-ricin F(ab') antibodies against lethal pulmonary and systemic ricin exposures in swine.

Generation of Highly Efficient Equine-Derived Antibodies for Post-Exposure Treatment of Ricin Intoxications by Vaccination with Monomerized Ricin.

Ricin, a highly lethal toxin derived from the seeds of (castor beans) is considered a potential biological threat agent due to its high availability, ease of production, and to the lack of any approved medical countermeasure against ricin exposures. To date, the use of neutralizing antibodies is the most promising post-exposure treatment for ricin intoxication. The aim of this work was to generate anti-ricin antitoxin that confers high level post-exposure protection against ricin challenge.

Limits of Versatility of Versatile Peroxidase.

Unlabelled: Although Mn(2+) is the most abundant substrate of versatile peroxidases (VPs), repression of Pleurotus ostreatus vp1 expression occurred in Mn(2+)-sufficient medium. This seems to be a biological contradiction. The aim of this study was to explore the mechanism of direct oxidation by VP1 under Mn(2+)-deficient conditions, as it was found to be the predominant enzyme during fungal growth in the presence of synthetic and natural substrates.