Determination of markers of lifetime use of substances containing ricin

BACKGROUND: The problem of establishing the fact of acute and lethal poisoning with cytotoxic substances currently remains an urgent task for forensic medical examination. Ricin belongs to this group of substances and is the most toxic representative, which can have irreversible health consequences if ingested into the human body.

AIM: development of a rapid analysis technique for detecting marker substances when establishing the fact of ricin poisoning in biological objects for the purposes and tasks of forensic medical examination.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have described optimal conditions for isolating ricinin and ricinolic acid, as markers of the presence of ricin, from blood and urine for further investigation by modern chromatographic methods (HPLC/MS/MS and GC/MS/MS).

RESULTS: According to the results of the study, an express method for the detection of ricinin and ricinoleic acid in biological fluids, castor oil and castor seeds has been developed, which requires only 200 μl of biological fluid. Chromatographic and mass spectrometric characteristics were determined for the subsequent identification of ricinin and ricinolic acid. The authors have established the presence of toxic ricinin in the products of processing of castor seeds, which can be a causal cause of poisoning of people.

CONCLUSION: For the first time, an express technique of forensic chemical and chemical-toxicological examination of ricin poisoning by chromatographic methods - HPLC/MS/MS and GC/MS/MS, based on the determination of marker substances in biological objects ― ricinin and ricinolic acid, is presented.