Table 3.
Outline of certain interesting toxins in terms of their military use and their comparison with most important chemical warfare agents (CWA) (LD50 values according to [2,24,29,30,31]). AChE: Acetylcholinesterase.
| Toxins/CWA | Structure | Action Mechanism | LD50 (Mouse, i.v.) μg/kg | Mr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botulinum toxin | Protein | Inhibition of acetylcholine release | 0.001 | 150,000 |
| Tetanus toxin | Protein | Inhibition of GABA release | 0.002 | 150,000 |
| Maitotoxin | Polypeptide | Ca2+ agonist | 0.1 | 3400 |
| Palytoxin | Polyalcohol | K+ channel blocker | 0.15 | 2700 |
| Abrin | Protein | Protein synthesis blocker | 0.7 | 65,000 |
| Batrachotoxin | Steroid alkaloid | Na+ channel activator | 2 | 539 |
| Taipoxin | Protein | Inhibition of acetylcholine release | 2 | 35,000 |
| Ricin | Protein | Proteosynthesis blocker | 3 | 62,000 |
| Tetrodotoxin | N-heteroaromatic | Na+ channel blocker | 8 | 319 |
| Saxitoxin | N-heteroaromatic | Na+ channel blocker | 10 | 299 |
| Physostigmine | Alkaloid | AChE inhibition | 450 | 275 |
| T-2 toxin | Trichothecene | Inhibition of protein synthesis | 1200 | 466 |
| VX | Organophosphate | AChE inhibition | 15 | 267 |
| GD | Organophosphate | AChE inhibition | 64 | 182 |
| GB | Organophosphate | AChE inhibition | 100 | 140 |