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Along with some strains of Clostridium butyricum and Clostridium baratii, these bacteria all produce the toxin. [2] Botulinum toxin can cause botulism, a severe flaccid paralytic disease in humans and other animals, [3] and is the most potent toxin known to science, natural or synthetic, with a lethal dose of 1.3–2.1 ng/kg in humans. [4] [5]
Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (commonly called botox), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and related species. [24] It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endings at the neuromuscular junction , thus causing flaccid paralysis . [ 25 ]
In all cases, illness is caused by the botulinum toxin which the bacterium C. botulinum produces in anaerobic conditions and not by the bacterium itself. The pattern of damage occurs because the toxin affects nerves that fire (depolarize) at a higher frequency first. [12] Mechanisms of entry into the human body for botulinum toxin are described ...
Glycine is an important amino acid that is essential for adequate nervous system function aiding in cell communication throughout the body. When tetanus toxin enters the body it is taken up by cholinergic nerve endings traveling axonally into the brain and spinal cord, disrupting motor function in individuals. Although tetanus is a damaging ...
At low concentrations of toxin, more subtle effects such as modulation of host cell signal transduction may be observed in the absence of cell lysis. Membrane-damaging toxins can be divided into two categories, the channel-forming toxins and toxins that function as enzymes that act on the membrane.
The botulinum toxin as the most toxic substance known has an LD 50 value of 1 ng/kg, while the most non-toxic substance water has an LD 50 value of more than 90 g/kg; a difference of about 1 in 100 billion, or 11 orders of magnitude. As with all measured values that differ by many orders of magnitude, a logarithmic view is advisable.
Clostridium botulinum can produce botulinum toxin in food or wounds and can cause botulism. This same toxin is known as Botox and is used in cosmetic surgery to paralyze facial muscles to reduce the signs of aging; it also has numerous other therapeutic uses.
However, for some highly potent toxins (ex. lofentanil, botulinum toxin) the difference between the ED 50 and TD 50 is so minute that the values assigned to them may be approximated to equal doses. Since toxicity need not be lethal, the TD 50 is generally lower than the median lethal dose (LD 50 ), and the latter can be considered an upper ...