Fatal intoxication by intravenous injection of castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) extract-a case study.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Springer International Country of Publication: Germany NLM ID: 9101456 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1437-1596 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09379827 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Legal Med Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: Heidelberg, FRG : Springer International, c1990-
    • Subject Terms:
      Injections, Intravenous*; Alkaloids/*analysis ; Alkaloids/*poisoning ; Plant Extracts/*chemistry ; Pyridones/*analysis ; Pyridones/*poisoning ; Ricinus/*chemistry; Adult ; Autopsy ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Fatal Outcome ; Forensic Toxicology ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Humans ; Male
    • Abstract:
      A case report of a 25-year-old man who committed suicide by intravenous injection himself of an aqueous home-made castor bean extract is presented. The patient was hospitalized and treated symptomatically and was released at its own request fourth day after intoxication. The next day, the patient's condition deteriorated, and he died 6 days after intoxication even though he was given medical care. Case history, autopsy, and toxicological investigation of ante- and post-mortem collected materials are described. Blood and urine collected from the patient ante-mortem and other several biological materials (namely blood from the upper and lower limb, blood from the right and left ventricle, pericardial fluid, vitreous humour, liver, kidney, and spleen) were collected post-mortem during autopsy. Liquid-liquid extraction procedure followed by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis for identification and determination of ricinine as a biomarker of ricin/castor seed intoxication was developed and validated. The method was applied on analysis of collected ante- and post-mortem biological materials. The post-mortem contents of ricinine in organs (namely the liver, kidney, and spleen) are firstly reported. The obtained results indicated approximately uniform distribution of ricinine (concentration level about 1 ng mL -1 ) in the body after death. In addition, the GC-MS method was also applied for the analysis of extract of castor seed and the patient's urine, to demonstrate alternative possibility for identification of ricinine for clinical and forensic purposes.
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Castor bean; Fatal intoxication; GC-MS; LC-MS; Ricin; Ricinine
    • Accession Number:
      0 (Alkaloids)
      0 (Plant Extracts)
      0 (Pyridones)
      130UFS7AE0 (ricinine)
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20200618 Date Completed: 20210329 Latest Revision: 20210329
    • Publication Date:
      20240628
    • Accession Number:
      10.1007/s00414-020-02340-x
    • Accession Number:
      32548760