Toxin

The Amanita muscaria mushroom, an iconic toxic mushroom.

A toxin is a naturally occurring poison[1] produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms.[2] They occur especially as proteins, often conjugated.[3] The term was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1919),[4] derived from toxic.

Toxins can be small molecules, peptides, or proteins that are capable of causing disease on contact with or absorption by body tissues interacting with biological macromolecules such as enzymes or cellular receptors. They vary greatly in their toxicity, ranging from usually minor (such as a bee sting) to potentially fatal even at extremely low doses (such as botulinum toxin).[5][6]

  1. ^ Harper, Douglas. "toxin". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  2. ^ "toxin – Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  3. ^ "toxin" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
  4. ^ Brade, Helmut (1999). Endotoxin in Health and Disease. CRC Press. ISBN 9780824719449. OCLC 41299257.
  5. ^ Gupta, PK (2018). Illustrated Toxicology with Study Questions. Elsevier Inc. ISBN 978-0-12-813213-5.
  6. ^ "Diagnosis and Treatment | Botulism". CDC. 1 June 2021. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.