Toxin#Misuse of the term

Toxins are often distinguished from other chemical agents strictly based on their biological origin.{{cite journal|title= Are Some Fungal Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Mycotoxins?|first1= Joan W |last1= Bennett|first2= Arati A |last2=Inamdar |journal= Toxins |location= Basel |year= 2015 |volume= 7|issue= 9 | pages= 3785–3804 | doi=10.3390/toxins7093785 |doi-access=free |pmid= 26402705 |pmc= 4591661 }}

Less strict understandings embrace naturally occurring inorganic toxins, such as arsenic.{{cite web |title= Arsenic in Food: FAQ |first1=Brenda |last1=Goodman |url= https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/arsenic-food-faq | work = WebMD | access-date=20 May 2022}}{{cite web | url= https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm |title=Arsenic in your food - Our findings show a real need for federal standards for this toxin |work= Consumer Reports| year=2012 }}{{cite journal|title= Keeping arsenic out of rice |first= Carolyn |last= Beans |journal= Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |year= 2021 |volume= 118 |issue= 33 |doi= 10.1073/pnas.2113071118|pmid= 34380741 |pmc= 8379988 |bibcode= 2021PNAS..11813071B |s2cid= 236989837 |doi-access= free }} Other understandings embrace synthetic analogs of naturally occurring organic poisons as toxins,{{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/178 |title=U.S. Code |access-date=20 May 2022|quote=the term "toxin" means the toxic material or product of plants, animals, microorganisms ...or a recombinant or synthesized molecule...}} and may{{cite web | title=Module 1: Introduction to Toxicology |work=Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry |url = https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/es/training/toxicology_curriculum/modules/1/module-1.pdf|access-date=20 May 2022| quote= arsenic, a toxic metal, may occur as a natural contaminant ... or ... as a by-product of industrial activities. If the second case is true, such toxic substances are referred to as toxicants, rather than toxins.}} or may not{{cite web | url = http://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/article/other/57jnpa.htm | title = The Biological Weapons Convention – An overview | date = 30 June 1997|access-date=20 May 2022 | first=Jozef | last=Goldblat | quote="The Convention applies to all natural or artificially created toxins, "whatever their origin or method of production" (Article I). It thus covers toxins produced biologically, as well as those produced by chemical synthesis"}} embrace naturally occurring inorganic poisons. It is important to confirm usage if a common understanding is critical.

Toxins are a subset of toxicants. The term toxicant is preferred when the poison is man-made and therefore artificial.{{cite web | url=https://askanydifference.com/difference-between-toxin-and-toxicant | title = Difference Between Toxin and Toxicant (With Table)| date = 31 October 2021}} The human and scientific genetic assembly of a natural-based toxin should be considered a toxin as it is identical to its natural counterpart.{{cite journal | title=Genetic assembly and selective toxicity of diphtheria-toxin-related polypeptide hormone fusion proteins | year = 1987| pmid = 2847744| url = https://europepmc.org/article/med/2847744| last1 = Murphy| first1 = J. R.| last2 = Bishai| first2 = W.| last3 = Williams| first3 = D.| last4 = Bacha| first4 = P.| last5 = Borowski| first5 = M.| last6 = Parker| first6 = K.| last7 = Boyd| first7 = J.| last8 = Waters| first8 = C.| last9 = Strom| first9 = T. B.| journal = Biochemical Society Symposium| volume = 53| pages = 9–23}} The debate is one of linguistic semantics.

The word toxin does not specify method of delivery (as opposed to venom, a toxin delivered via a bite, sting, etc.). Poison is a related but broader term that encompasses both toxins and toxicants; poisons may enter the body through any means - typically inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption. Toxin, toxicant, and poison are often used interchangeably despite these subtle differences in definition. The term toxungen has also been proposed to refer to toxins that are delivered onto the body surface of another organism without an accompanying wound.{{cite journal | doi=10.1111/brv.12062 | title=Poisons, toxungens, and venoms: Redefining and classifying toxic biological secretions and the organisms that employ them | year=2014 | last1=Nelsen | first1=David R. | last2=Nisani | first2=Zia | last3=Cooper | first3=Allen M. | last4=Fox | first4=Gerad A. | last5=Gren | first5=Eric C. K. | last6=Corbit | first6=Aaron G. | last7=Hayes | first7=William K. | journal=Biological Reviews | volume=89 | issue=2 | pages=450–465 | pmid=24102715 | s2cid=207101679 }}

A rather informal terminology of individual toxins relates them to the anatomical location where their effects are most notable:

• Genitotoxin, damages the urinary organs or the reproductive organs
• Hemotoxin, causes destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis)
• Phototoxin, causes dangerous photosensitivity
• Hepatotoxins affect the liver
• Neurotoxins affect the nervous system

On a broader scale, toxins may be classified as either exotoxins, excreted by an organism, or endotoxins, which are released mainly when bacteria are lysed.

{{More citations needed section|date=May 2021}}

The term "biotoxin" is sometimes used to explicitly confirm the biological origin as opposed to environmental or anthropogenic origins.{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biotoxin |title=biotoxin – Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary |access-date=13 December 2008}}{{DorlandsDict|one/000012874|biotoxin}} Biotoxins can be classified by their mechanism of delivery as poisons (passively transferred via ingestion, inhalation, or absorption across the skin), toxungens (actively transferred to the target's surface by spitting, spraying, or smearing), or venoms (delivered through a wound generated by a bite, sting, or other such action). They can also be classified by their source, such as fungal biotoxins, microbial toxins, plant biotoxins, or animal biotoxins.{{Cite web |title=Biotoxins: What are Biotoxins? |url=https://www.biosciences-labs.bham.ac.uk/exhibit/whatare.html |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=www.biosciences-labs.bham.ac.uk}}

Toxins produced by microorganisms are important virulence determinants responsible for microbial pathogenicity and/or evasion of the host immune response.{{cite book |veditors = Proft T | year=2009 |title=Microbial Toxins: Current Research and Future Trends | publisher=Caister Academic Press | isbn= 978-1-904455-44-8}}

Biotoxins vary greatly in purpose and mechanism, and can be highly complex (the venom of the cone snail can contain over 100 unique peptides, which target specific nerve channels or receptors).{{cite journal |last1=Robinson |first1=Samuel D |last2=Norton |first2=Raymond S |title=Conotoxin Gene Superfamilies |journal = Marine Drugs |volume = 12 |issue = 12 |pages = 6058–6101 |date = 17 December 2014 | doi = 10.3390/md12126058 |pmid = 25522317 | pmc = 4278219|doi-access=free }}

Biotoxins in nature have two primary functions:

• Predation, such as in the spider, snake, scorpion, jellyfish, and wasp
• Defense as in the bee, ant, termite, honey bee, wasp, poison dart frog and plants producing toxins
• The toxins used as defense in species among the poison dart frog can also be used for medicinal purposes

Some of the more well known types of biotoxins include:

• Cyanotoxins, produced by cyanobacteria
• Dinotoxins, produced by dinoflagellates
• Necrotoxins cause necrosis (i.e., death) in the cells they encounter.{{cite book |title=Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary |date=2012 |publisher=Saunders/Elsevier |location=Philadelphia, PA |isbn=978-1-4160-6257-8 |page=1236 |edition=32nd}} Necrotoxins spread through the bloodstream.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}} In humans, skin and muscle tissues are most sensitive to necrotoxins.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}} Organisms that possess necrotoxins include:
• The brown recluse or "fiddle back" spider
• Most rattlesnakes and vipers produce phospholipase and various trypsin-like serine proteases
• Puff adder
• Necrotizing fasciitis (caused by the "flesh eating" bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes) – produces a pore forming toxin
• Neurotoxins primarily affect the nervous systems of animals. The group neurotoxins generally consists of ion channel toxins that disrupt ion channel conductance. Organisms that possess neurotoxins include:
• The black widow spider.
• Most scorpions
• The box jellyfish
• Elapid snakes
• The cone snail
• The Blue-ringed octopus
• Venomous fish
• Frogs
• Palythoa coral
• Various different types of algae, cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates
• Myotoxins are small, basic peptides found in snake and lizard venoms, They cause muscle tissue damage by a non-enzymatic receptor based mechanism. Organisms that possess myotoxins include:
• rattlesnakes
• Mexican beaded lizard
• Cytotoxins are toxic at the level of individual cells, either in a non-specific fashion or only in certain types of living cells:
• Ricin, from castor beans
• Apitoxin, from honey bees
• T-2 mycotoxin, from certain toxic mushrooms
• Cardiotoxin III, from Chinese cobra
• Hemotoxin, from vipers

Many living organisms employ toxins offensively or defensively. A relatively small number of toxins are known to have the potential to cause widespread sickness or casualties. They are often inexpensive and easily available, and in some cases it is possible to refine them outside the laboratory.{{Cite journal |last1=Janik |first1=Edyta |last2=Ceremuga |first2=Michal |last3=Saluk-Bijak |first3=Joanna |last4=Bijak |first4=Michal |date=2019-03-08 |title=Biological Toxins as the Potential Tools for Bioterrorism |journal=International Journal of Molecular Sciences |volume=20 |issue=5 |pages=1181 |doi=10.3390/ijms20051181 |issn=1422-0067 |pmc=6429496 |pmid=30857127|doi-access=free }} As biotoxins act quickly, and are highly toxic even at low doses, they can be more efficient than chemical agents.

Due to these factors, it is vital to raise awareness of the clinical symptoms of biotoxin poisoning, and to develop effective countermeasures including rapid investigation, response, and treatment.{{Cite web |last=Editorial |first=Team |title=Toxins: Venom within Living Cells or Organisms |url=https://www.unrevealedfiles.com/toxins-venom-within-living-cells-or-organisms/ |access-date=2021-07-17 |website=Unrevealed Files |date=24 May 2021 |language=en-US}}{{Cite journal|last=Płusa|first=Tadeusz|date=September 2015|title=[Toxins as a biological weapon]|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26449572/#:~:text=Toxins%20list%20is%20extensive,%20but,include%20tetrodotoxin,%20brevetoxin%20and%20saxitoxin.|journal=Polski Merkuriusz Lekarski|volume=39|issue=231|pages=131–133|issn=1426-9686|pmid=26449572}}

{{See also|Environmental toxicology}}

The term "environmental toxin" can sometimes explicitly include synthetic contaminants{{cite journal | vauthors = Grigg J | title = Environmental toxins; their impact on children's health | journal = Archives of Disease in Childhood | volume = 89 | issue = 3 | pages = 244–50 | date = March 2004 | pmid = 14977703 | pmc = 1719840 | doi = 10.1136/adc.2002.022202 }} such as industrial pollutants and other artificially made toxic substances. As this contradicts most formal definitions of the term "toxin", it is important to confirm what the researcher means when encountering the term outside of microbiological contexts.

Environmental toxins from food chains that may be dangerous to human health include:

• Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP){{cite journal | vauthors = Vale C, Alfonso A, Vieytes MR, Romarís XM, Arévalo F, Botana AM, Botana LM | title = In vitro and in vivo evaluation of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin potency and the influence of the pH of extraction | journal = Analytical Chemistry | volume = 80 | issue = 5 | pages = 1770–6 | date = March 2008 | pmid = 18232710 | doi = 10.1021/ac7022266 }}{{Cite journal | vauthors = Oikawa H, Fujita T, Saito K, Satomi M, Yano Y| title = Difference in the level of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin accumulation between the crabs Telmessus acutidens and Charybdis japonica collected in Onahama, Fukushima Prefecture | journal = Fisheries Science | volume = 73 | issue = 2 | pages = 395–403 | year = 2008 | doi = 10.1111/j.1444-2906.2007.01347.x| s2cid = 22926782 }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Abouabdellah R, Taleb H, Bennouna A, Erler K, Chafik A, Moukrim A | title = Paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin profile of mussels Perna perna from southern Atlantic coasts of Morocco | journal = Toxicon | volume = 51 | issue = 5 | pages = 780–6 | date = April 2008 | pmid = 18237757 | doi = 10.1016/j.toxicon.2007.12.004 | bibcode = 2008Txcn...51..780A }}
• Amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP){{cite journal | vauthors = Wang L, Liang XF, Zhang WB, Mai KS, Huang Y, Shen D | title = Amnesic shellfish poisoning toxin stimulates the transcription of CYP1A possibly through AHR and ARNT in the liver of red sea bream Pagrus major | journal = Marine Pollution Bulletin | volume = 58 | issue = 11 | pages = 1643–8 | date = November 2009 | pmid = 19665739 | doi = 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.07.004 | bibcode = 2009MarPB..58.1643W }}{{Cite journal | vauthors = Wang L, Vaquero E, Leão JM, Gogo-Martínez A, Rodríguez Vázquez JA | title = Optimization of conditions for the liquid chromatographic-electrospray lonization-mass spectrometric analysis of amnesic shellfish poisoning toxins | journal = Chromatographia | volume = 53 | issue = 1 | pages = S231–35 | year = 2001 | doi = 10.1007/BF02490333| s2cid = 97937094 }}
• Diarrheal shellfish poisoning (DSP){{cite journal | vauthors = Mouratidou T, Kaniou-Grigoriadou I, Samara C, Kouimtzis T | title = Detection of the marine toxin okadaic acid in mussels during a diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) episode in Thermaikos Gulf, Greece, using biological, chemical and immunological methods | journal = The Science of the Total Environment | volume = 366 | issue = 2–3 | pages = 894–904 | date = August 2006 | pmid = 16815531 | doi = 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.03.002 | bibcode = 2006ScTEn.366..894M }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Doucet E, Ross NN, Quilliam MA | title = Enzymatic hydrolysis of esterified diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxins and pectenotoxins | journal = Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry | volume = 389 | issue = 1 | pages = 335–42 | date = September 2007 | pmid = 17661021 | doi = 10.1007/s00216-007-1489-3 | s2cid = 21971745 }}
• Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP){{cite journal | vauthors = Poli MA, Musser SM, Dickey RW, Eilers PP, Hall S | title = Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning and brevetoxin metabolites: a case study from Florida | journal = Toxicon | volume = 38 | issue = 7 | pages = 981–93 | date = July 2000 | pmid = 10728835 | doi = 10.1016/S0041-0101(99)00191-9 | url = https://zenodo.org/record/1259725 }}{{Cite journal | vauthors = Morohashi A, Satake M, Murata K, Naoki H, Kaspar HF, Yasumoto T| title = Brevetoxin B3, a new brevetoxin nalog isolated from the greenshell mussel perna canaliculus involved in neurotoxic shellfish poisoning in new zealand | journal = Tetrahedron Letters | volume = 36 | issue = 49 | pages = 8995–98 | year = 1995 | doi = 10.1016/0040-4039(95)01969-O}}{{cite journal | vauthors = Morohashi A, Satake M, Naoki H, Kaspar HF, Oshima Y, Yasumoto T | title = Brevetoxin B4 isolated from greenshell mussels Perna canaliculus, the major toxin involved in neurotoxic shellfish poisoning in New Zealand | journal = Natural Toxins | volume = 7 | issue = 2 | pages = 45–8 | date = 1999 | pmid = 10495465 | doi = 10.1002/(SICI)1522-7189(199903/04)7:2<45::AID-NT34>3.0.CO;2-H }}

In general, when scientists determine the amount of a substance that may be hazardous for humans, animals and/or the environment they determine the amount of the substance likely to trigger effects and if possible establish a safe level. In Europe, the European Food Safety Authority produced risk assessments for more than 4,000 substances in over 1,600 scientific opinions and they provide open access summaries of human health, animal health and ecological hazard assessments in their OpenFoodTox{{Cite web|url=https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/data/chemical-hazards-data|title=Chemical hazards data - OpenFoodTox|website=European Food Safety Authority|language=en|access-date=2019-10-27}} database.{{cite journal | vauthors = Dorne JL, Richardson J, Kass G, Georgiadis N, Monguidi M, Pasinato L, Cappe S, Verhagen H, Robinson T | title = OpenFoodTox: EFSA's open source toxicological database on chemical hazards in food and feed. | journal = EFSA Journal | date = January 2017 | volume = 15 | issue = 1 | pages = e15011 | doi = 10.2903/j.efsa.2017.e15011 | pmid = 32625280 | pmc = 7009813 | doi-access = free }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Reilly L, Serafimova R, Partosch F, Gundert-Remy U, Cortiñas Abrahantes J, Dorne JM, Kass GE | title = Testing the thresholds of toxicological concern values using a new database for food-related substances | journal = Toxicology Letters | volume = 314 | pages = 117–123 | date = October 2019 | pmid = 31325634 | doi = 10.1016/j.toxlet.2019.07.019 | doi-access = free }} The OpenFoodTox database can be used to screen potential new foods for toxicity.{{cite journal | vauthors = Pearce JM, Khaksari M, Denkenberger D | title = Preliminary Automated Determination of Edibility of Alternative Foods: Non-Targeted Screening for Toxins in Red Maple Leaf Concentrate | journal = Plants | volume = 8 | issue = 5 | pages = 110 | date = April 2019 | pmid = 31027336 | pmc = 6571818 | doi = 10.3390/plants8050110 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2019Plnts...8..110P }}

The Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program (TEHIP){{cite web|url=http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro.html|title=Environmental Health and Toxicology Information|work=National Library of Medicine|access-date=29 September 2010|archive-date=1 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901172235/https://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro.html|url-status=dead}} at the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) maintains a comprehensive toxicology and environmental health web site that includes access to toxins-related resources produced by TEHIP and by other government agencies and organizations.{{cite journal | vauthors = Fonger GC, Stroup D, Thomas PL, Wexler P | title = TOXNET: A computerized collection of toxicological and environmental health information | journal = Toxicology and Industrial Health | volume = 16 | issue = 1 | pages = 4–6 | date = January 2000 | pmid = 10798381 | doi = 10.1177/074823370001600101 | bibcode = 2000ToxIH..16....4F | s2cid = 34029729 }} This web site includes links to databases, bibliographies, tutorials, and other scientific and consumer-oriented resources. TEHIP also is responsible for the Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET),{{cite web |url=http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/ |title=TOXNET |website=toxnet.nlm.nih.gov |access-date=29 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514171418/https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/ |archive-date=14 May 2019 |url-status=dead }} an integrated system of toxicology and environmental health databases that are available free of charge on the web.

TOXMAP is a Geographic Information System (GIS) that is part of TOXNET.{{cite journal | vauthors = Hochstein C, Szczur M | title = TOXMAP: a GIS-based gateway to environmental health resources | journal = Medical Reference Services Quarterly | volume = 25 | issue = 3 | pages = 13–31 | date = 2006-07-24 | pmid = 16893844 | pmc = 2703818 | doi = 10.1300/J115v25n03_02 }} TOXMAP uses maps of the United States to help users visually explore data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory and Superfund Basic Research Programs.

{{col div|colwidth=30em}}

• ArachnoServer
• Brevetoxin
• Cangitoxin
• Detoxification (alternative medicine)
• Dose–response relationship
• Excitotoxicity
• Environment and health
• Exposome
• Insect toxin
• List of highly toxic gases
• List of poisonous plants
• Pollution
• Secondary metabolite
• Toxalbumin
• Toxicophore, feature or group within a molecule that is thought to be responsible for its toxic properties.
• Toxin-antitoxin system

{{colend}}

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Toxins}}

• [http://www.t3db.org/ T3DB: Toxin-target database]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080820090609/http://protchem.hunnu.edu.cn/toxin ATDB: Animal toxin database]
• [http://www.toxicology.org Society of Toxicology]
• [http://www.jvat.org.br The Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110211134419/http://toxseek.nlm.nih.gov/ ToxSeek: Meta-search engine in toxicology and environmental health]
• [http://www.ecotoxmodels.org/ Website on Models & Ecotoxicology]

{{Authority control}}

{{Toxins}}

{{Toxicology}}

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Category:Biology terminology

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Category:Chemical ecology