Poisoning from plants is a common fear but an extremely rare event. It is true that a few plant species in certain localities can produce serious toxicity like dander (Nerium oleander), foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), jequirity pea (Abrus precatorius), castor bean (Ricinus communis), water hemlock (Cicuta maculata), Jerusalem cherry (Solanaum pseudocapsicum), free tobacco (Nicotina glauca), jimsonweed (Datura stramonium), autumn crocus (Colchicum [...]
A remarkable number of marine organisms, venomous animals produce venom in a specialized gland. Venom is a mixture of mainly protein and peptide toxins. In contrast, poisonous animals may have special glands that produce toxins but more often accumulate toxic compounds from the environment in their bodies. These substances are known as poisons and have to be ingested to be [...]
An understanding of the mechanisms of toxicity is of practical and theoretical importance. Such information provides rational basis for interpreting descriptive toxicity data, estimating the probability that a xenobiotic will cause harmful effects, designing drugs and industrial chemicals that are less hazardous, and developing pesticides that are more selectively toxic for their respective target organisms. As a result of the [...]