Abstract
Ricin, a toxin from the plant Ricinus communis, is one of the most toxic biological agents known. Due to its availability, toxicity, ease of production and absence of curative treatments, ricin has been classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as category B biological weapon and it is scheduled as a List 1 compound in the Chemical Weapons Convention. An international proficiency test (PT) was conducted to evaluate detection and quantification capabilities of 17 expert laboratories. In this exercise one goal was to analyse the laboratories’ capacity to detect and differentiate ricin and the less toxic, but highly homologuous protein R. communis agglutinin (RCA120). Six analytical strategies are presented in this paper based on immunological assays (four immunoenzymatic assays and two immunochromatographic tests). Using these immunological methods “dangerous” samples containing ricin and/or RCA120 were successfully identified. Based on different antibodies used the detection and quantification of ricin and RCA120 was successful. The ricin PT highlighted the performance of different immunological approaches that are exemplarily recommended for highly sensitive and precise quantification of ricin.
Highlights
Ricin is a highly toxic protein from the seeds of the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) which has a worldwide distribution, growing naturally across tropical and subtropical regions and is often used as an ornamental plant
The quantitative results provided by the different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for sample S6 containing the highest concentration of ricin in buffer and sample S7 containing the lowest concentration of ricin is visualized in Figure 4 as normal probability plot of z-scores
This report describes the immunological detection strategies employed by four international laboratories during the 2013 EQuATox ricin proficiency test, focusing on ELISA and lateral flow assay devices (LFA) tests for the detection of ricin toxin and the highly homologous RCA120
Summary
Ricin is a highly toxic protein from the seeds of the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) which has a worldwide distribution, growing naturally across tropical and subtropical regions and is often used as an ornamental plant. Ricin protein accounts for approximately 1%–5% of an individual castor bean’s weight, which contains a less toxic but highly homologous protein R. communis agglutinin abbreviated RCA120 [2]. Toxins 2015, 7, 4967–4986 extraction process to obtain ricin protein, and its high toxicity for potential use as a bioweapon, ricin is classified by the CDC as a Category B select agent [3]. Since the toxin has been explored for potential military use by different nations during World War II and later, ricin is the only proteotoxin listed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons as a controlled chemical under Schedule 1 compounds [4], which prevents the unlawful production, possession, and transfer of ricin toxin. Ricin has been used in previous criminal and bioterrorism attacks (reviewed by Bozza et al, 2015), most notably in the assassination of Bulgarian dissident Georgi
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