# Ricin - How toxic is it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricin-how-toxic-is-it/227364>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 3, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricin-how-toxic-is-it/227364 "2004-02-03T20:14:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricin-how-toxic-is-it/227364/21 "2004-02-05T14:16:18Z")

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Nice bit on the seed toxicity though. Have you got the link for that?

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**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricin-how-toxic-is-it/227364/22 "2004-02-05T15:48:01Z")

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> [@Ravenman](#):
>
> slight hijack - from the emedicine site above, I read this: “This basic structure of ricin is similar to those of the botulinum toxin, cholera toxin, diphtheria toxin, tetanus toxin, and insulin.” Ok, ricin, botulinum, cholera being similar, I can kind of get. But insulin? Is insulin considered a toxic substance?

I believe what they are talking about is that these all consist of two different subunits. I know ricin and insulin subunits are held together by disulfide -S-S- bonds, but IIRC cholera and diphtheria toxin (with are the classic alpha-beta toxins, both inhibit different large heterotrimeric G-proteins) are just held together by protein coupling (hydrogen, ionic, van der Waals bonding).

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**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ricin-how-toxic-is-it/227364/23 "2004-02-05T23:16:23Z")

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> [@Squink](#):
>
> Nice bit on the seed toxicity though. Have you got the link for that?

Cant link. It is a local database.  
RTECS - Register of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances

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