ClinicalChemistry31-C: Hulyo 2011

Animal Toxins

Animal Toxins

Animal toxins are produced by a variety of species by different animals. Like the plants, these toxins are produced for their means of defense against other animals, or obtaining prey. Animals capable of producing toxins are divided to venomous animals and poisonous animals. Venomous animals can produce the toxin in highly specialized secretory glands. Poisonous animals are characterized by having various tissues that contain the toxin.

EXAMPLES OF ANIMAL TOXINS

Snakes

It is one of the most common venomous animals. There are more than 400 species of snakes that can deliver dangerous amount of toxins to humans. The venom of the snakes is primarily composed of several types of enzymes and polypeptides which is responsible for the different effects in human.

Snake Venom Toxin

Scorpions

Scorpion venom is made up of neurotoxins and other proteins that can cause paralysis or even death. The toxins found in scorpion venom typically alter the pathways to the release of neurotransmitter by hindering the pre-synaptic mechanisms that release neurotransmitters(acetylcholine). These junction sites are found throughout the whole nervous system that may leads to paralysis.

Plant Toxins

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PLANT TOXINS

Plant toxins are large arrays of toxic chemicals that are produced by plants (usually phytotoxins). These compounds may be non-toxic or acute toxic to some organisms and they are produce to act as their defense mechanisms against animals, particularly mammals. It is suggested that all green plants have the potential to be toxic to herbivores due to the secondary metabolites that accumulate in them. The toxicity of the plants is dependent on the dose taken over for a period of time, age, health status of the animal. Meanwhile, not all parts of the plants are toxic to animals. Fruits are usually free of toxins since they provide foods for the animals, but some ripe fruits are also containing substances that may be harmful to animals.

EXAMPLES OF PLANT TOXINS

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of a group of higher fungi that have evolved contemporaneously with plants for millions of years. Mushrooms are widely distributed throughout the world, and thousands of species have been identified. Of all many species of mushrooms, about 100 of them are poisonous to humans and 15-20 % are lethal when injected.

The most common reason for the misidentification of their different species is their close resemblance in terms of colour and general morphology of the toxic mushrooms species with edible species. Even very experienced wild mushroom gatherers are upon rare occasion poisoned by eating toxic species, despite being well aware of the risks, through carelessness.

Amanita phalloides accounts for the majority of fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide.commonly known as the death cap

Red Kidney Beans

Red kidney bean also known as chili bean, with its dark red skin, same morphology with beans. Raw kidney beans, and some other beans, contain the toxin phytohaemagglutinin. This toxin is killed if red kidney beans are cooked at a high enough temperature and for the right length of time. It is also important that red kidney beans are prepared correctly before use which means soaking them for at least 8 hours before hand.

But if they are cooked for shorter periods of time or at lower temperatures such as those in slow cookers then this will be insufficient to kill this toxin.

Water Hemlock

One of the most toxic plants in the United States since so little of it needs to be consumed to cause death. It contains the resinoid known as cicutoxin. Cicutoxin is present mainly in the roots and base of the stem. Roots are readily pulled out of the soil by grazing animals when the soil is soft and damp. Circutoxin causes central nervous system stimulatory effects including seizures following ingestion.

ClinicalChemistry31-C

Animal Toxins

Plant Toxins

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