Toxin
hideA toxin (Greek: τοξικόν, toxikon) is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms. (Although technically man is a living organism, man-made substances created by artificial processes usually aren't considered toxins by this definition.)
For a toxic substance not produced by living organisms, "toxicant" is the more appropriate term, and "toxics" is an acceptable plural.
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. Toxins vary greatly in their severity, ranging from usually minor and acute (as in a bee sting) to almost immediately deadly (as in botulinum toxin).
For more information about Toxin, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with toxin
Nanoparticles for gene therapy improve
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Nov 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- About five years ago, Professor Janet Sawicki at the Lankenau Institute in Pennsylvania read an article about nanoparticles developed by MIT's Robert Langer for gene therapy, the insertion ...
Trigger of deadly food toxin discovered
Oct 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A toxin produced by mold on nuts and grains can cause liver cancer if consumed in large quantities. UC Irvine researchers for the first time have discovered what triggers the toxin to form, ...
No need for needles: Botox sponge treats intrinsic rhinitis
Oct 15, 2009 |
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Injecting botulinum toxin (botox) to treat intrinsic or allergic rhinitis may be a thing of the past as researchers have now shown that sponges soaked in botox are equally effective in treating the condition. The research ...
New guidelines identify best treatments to help ALS patients live longer, easier
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Oct 12, 2009 |
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New guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology identify the most effective treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often called Lou Gehrig's disease. The guidelines are published in the October 13, 2009, ...
Researchers find demand for cosmetic and surgical procedures in dermatologic surgery rising rapidly
Oct 05, 2009 |
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Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the Laser and Skin Cancer Center of Indiana, (Carmel, Indiana), found that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of procedures performed and patient ...
Securing biological select agents and toxins will require developing a culture of trust
Sep 30, 2009 |
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The most effective way to prevent the deliberate misuse of biological select agents and toxins (BSATs) -- agents housed in laboratories across the U.S. considered to potentially pose a threat to human health -- is to instill ...
School drinking water contains toxins
Sep 25, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Over the last decade, the drinking water at thousands of schools across the country has been found to contain unsafe levels of lead, pesticides and dozens of other toxins.
Fish-Killing Toxin Could Kill Cancer Cells
Sep 09, 2009 |
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A powerful fish-killing toxin could have cancer-killing properties as well, according to collaborative research led by Agricultural Research Service microbiologist Paul V. Zimba and chemist Peter Moeller of ...
New vaccine shows promise for COPD patients at risk for pneumonia
Sep 08, 2009 |
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A new vaccine against pneumonia may offer better protection from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients than the currently accepted vaccine, according to recent research that will be published in the September ...
Scientists hone technique to safeguard water supplies
Aug 28, 2009 |
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A method to detect contaminants in municipal water supplies has undergone further refinements by two Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers whose findings are published on line in Water Environment Research.
How Mercury Becomes Toxic In The Environment
Aug 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Naturally occurring organic matter in water and sediment appears to play a key role in helping microbes convert tiny particles of mercury in the environment into a form that is dangerous to ...
Raising the alarm when DNA goes bad (w/ Video)
Aug 13, 2009 |
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Scientists have known for a long time that when DNA is damaged, a key enzyme sets off a cellular "alarm bell" to alert the cell to start the repair process, but until recently little was known about how the cell detects and ...
Genes key to staph disease severity, drug resistance found hitchhiking together
Jul 31, 2009 |
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Scientists studying Staphylococcus bacteria, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), have discovered a potent staph toxin responsible for disease severity. They also found the gene for the toxin traveling with a geneti ...
Discovery of a mechanism controlling the fate of hematopoietic stem cells
Jul 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Hematopoietic stem cells are capable of manufacturing all types of blood cells. But which factors influence the production of a specific type of cell? Until now, it was thought that this was ...
Nanoparticle-delivered 'suicide' genes slowed ovarian tumor growth (w/ Video)
Jul 30, 2009 |
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Nanoparticle delivery of diphtheria toxin-encoding DNA selectively expressed in ovarian cancer cells reduced the burden of ovarian tumors in mice, and researchers expect this therapy could be tested in humans within 18 to ...
