LETHAL POTIONS Flashcards
from berry extract - CONIINE (alkaloid); causes nausea, paralysis, death. This is prepared from full-grown but unripened fruit of Conium mucalatum; usually dried carefully and brewed into tea; consumed by Socrates during his execution
Socrates Poison or Poison Hemlock
otherwise known as TOBACURARINE CHLORIDE and is found beneath the frog’s skin; used as a muscle relazant to induce paralysis. the poison originates from the accumulation of toxic alkaloids from the frogs’ diet.
African Poison Arrow
substance used in the treatment/prevention of a disease; chemical substance which induce changes in behavior
Drugs
study of the response of living organisms to drugs
Pharmacology
branch of pharmacology that deals with the effects of poisons, their identification/detection, and the development and use of antidotes
Toxicology
What is a poison?
Basically, everything is poisonous. Specifically, abnormally large amounts of anything is categorically poison.
lethal dose that kill 50% of a population of test animals; weight of poison per unit body weight; used to quantify toxicity; not necessarily the same for humans; given orally
LD50
Why LD50?
Some animals are usually strong and can survive fairly large doses of a given poison. Others are more susceptible and die from lower doses. This is the average lethal dose.
What is the principle of LD50?
The larger the LD50 value, the less toxic a substance is.
What is the most toxic substance and the LD50 amount?
Caffeine, with 0.15g/kg.
How many cups of coffee is too toxic?
approximately 50-200 cups
Which substance is most toxic?
Botulin (bacteria)
paralytic illness caused by a toxin; grows in anaerobic condition as it can grow in canned goods; used as an antitoxin from horse serum
Botulin
break down proteins to amino acids
Acids and Bases
explain the process of Protein Denaturation
loss of protein function as a result of a change in its structure; brought about by acids/bases binding to specific groups in the structure; this process is reversible.
What are the different mechanisms of poisoning?
- Acids - denature peptides
- Carbon monoxide - bind to heme
- Mercury - attach to disulfide
- Arsenic - attach to disulfide
- Botulin - acetylase
- Curare - binds with receptor
- Nerve Gases - anticholinesterase
Explain the chemistry of breathing
- Oxygen is taken from air and enters the lungs.
- Oxygen enters blood vessels and binds with HEMOGLOBIN (protein for transport).
- The oxygenated RBC (OXYHEMOGLOBIN) gets pumped to the organs of the body.
Where does the binding of Oxygen to hemoglobin occur?
In the iron centers surrounded by porphyrin rings (Heme units)
For every hemoglobin molecule…
There are 4 heme units and 4 iron centers where each iron center binds with 1 molecule of oxygen. This is so that each molecule of hemoglobin carries a total of 4 oxygen molecules.
interferrence with the transport of oxygen; competes with oxygen gas binding with hemoglobin; binds irreversibly to form CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN, leaving no more hemoglobin available
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (CO-Poisoning)
How does mercury and arsenic poisoning occur?
Mercury and Arsenic binds to SH residues of proteins
Heavy metals can enter the body via food/environmental factors; Low and regular exposure to heavy metals can build up to chronic illnesses in heart/kidney.
One way to detoxify is via _____________ that bind to the metals and carry them out of the body (e.g. Penicillamine/Dimercaprol)
Natural Detoxification
This is also another way of detoxifying (food)
Food rich in sulfur can detoxify (e.g. raw eggs, raw garlic, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage)
