10 Facts About Abrin

Abrin is an extremely toxic toxalbumin found in the seeds of the rosary pea, Abrus precatorius.

Abrin is a ribosome inhibiting protein like ricin, a toxin which can be found in the seeds of the castor oil plant, and pulchellin, a toxin which can be found in the seeds of Abrus pulchellus.

Abrin-a is the most potent of the four isotoxins, encoded for by an intron-free gene, and consists of two subunits or chains, A and B The primary product of protein biosynthesis, preproabrin, consists of a signal peptide sequence, the amino acid sequences for subunits A and B, and a linker.

Abrin-a is formed after the cleavage of a signal peptide sequence and post-translational modifications such as glycosylation and disulfide bridge formation in the endoplasmic reticulum .

Abrin is not known to have been weaponised due to its high toxicity and the possibility of being processed into an aerosol, the use of abrin as a biological weapon is possible in principle.

Abrin naturally occurs in the seeds of the rosary pea, a plant common to tropical regions that is occasionally employed as an herbal remedy for certain conditions.

Abrin has been shown to act as an immunoadjuvant in the treatment of cancer in mice.

Abrin resembles ricin in that it is a type 2 ribosome-inactivating protein and has a similar mode of action, but abrin's effect is more potent than ricin's.

Abrin can be absorbed through broken skin or absorbed through the skin if dissolved in certain solvents.

Abrin poisoning is treated with supportive care to minimize the effects of the poisoning.