Biochemical studies on oral toxicity of ricin. I. Ricin administered orally can impair sugar absorption by rat small intestine.

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Abstract
Rats intoxicated orally with ricin (30 mg/kg) showed clear signs of sickness and all died within 36 h. Dying animals shivered and lost body weight. The animals suffered from severe diarrhea within 5-10 h and profuse watery purging. In all intoxicated animals, large amounts of watery fluid were seen in the small intestine, but no significant changes in other organs were observed on gross examination. The effect of oral administration of ricin (30 mg/kg) on D-glucose absorption by rat small intestine was examined by the in vitro everted sac method. The amount of D-glucose absorbed by the small intestine derived from ricin-treated rats was 61.8 .mu.g/100 mg tissue per h or 30% of that of normal rats (206 .mu.g/100 mg tissue per h) 5 h after intoxication. Absorptions of D-galactose, D-mannose and 3-O-methylglucose by the small intestine of ricin-treated rats were 66, 46 and 80% of those of the normal intestine, respectively. Light microscopic examination revealed significant changes such as loss of villi and delay of the regeneration of absorptive epithelias of the small intestine at 5 h after administration. Ricin acted primarily on the intestinal mucosa and impaired sugar absorption.

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