Names | |
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IUPAC name 3,3′,4,4′-Tetrahydroxy-2,2′-bipyridine-N,N′-dioxide | |
Other names Orellanin, 2,2-Bipyridine-3,3-4,4-tetrol-1,1-dioxide | |
Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) | |
ChemSpider | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.232.424 |
PubChem CID | |
UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
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Properties | |
C10H8N2O6 | |
Molar mass | 252.182 g·mol−1 |
Appearance | Colorless to white crystalline powder |
Odor | Odorless |
Hazards | |
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |
Main hazards | Highly toxic with delayed onset of toxicity |
GHS labelling: | |
Danger | |
H300, H370 | |
P260, P264, P270, P301+P310, P307+P311, P321, P330, P405, P501 | |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). |
Orellanine or orellanin is a mycotoxin found in a group of mushrooms known as the Orellani within the family Cortinariaceae. [1] Structurally, it is a bipyridine N-oxide compound somewhat related to the herbicide diquat.
Orellanine first came to people's attention in 1952 when a mass poisoning of 102 people in Konin, Poland, resulted in 11 deaths. [2] Orellanine comes from a class of mushrooms that fall under the genus Cortinarius, and has been found in the species C. orellanus , rubellus , henrici, rainerensis and bruneofulvus. [2] [3] Poisonings related to these mushrooms have occurred predominately in Europe where mushroom foraging was common, though cases of orellanine poisoning have been reported in North America and Australia as well. [3] There are several reported cases of people ingesting orellanine-containing mushrooms after mistaking them for edible or hallucinogenic mushrooms. [3] [4]
Orellanine was first isolated in 1962, when Stanisław Grzymala extracted and isolated orellanine from the mushroom C. orellanus. [3] [5] Grzymala was also able to demonstrate the nephrotoxicity of C. orellanus and determine various physical and chemical properties of orellanine. He found that the toxicity of the mushroom was due to both delayed and acute kidney injury.
The chemical structure of orellanine was first deduced by Antkowiak and Gessner in 1979, who identified it as 3,3',4,4'-tetrahydroxy- 2,2'-bipyridine-1,1'-dioxide. [3] [6]
The first successful synthesis of orellanine was reported in 1985. [7] The total synthesis of orellanine starting with the bromination of 3-hydroxypyridine was reported a year later in 1986. [8]
The first synthesis of orellanine was reported in 1985 by Dehmlow and Schulz, and required ten steps starting from 3-aminopyridine. [7] The following year, Tiecco et al. reported the total synthesis of orellanine in nine steps starting from 3-hydroxypyridine. [8]
Orellanine is a bipyridine N-oxide. [3] [6] Orellanine displays tautomerism, with the more stable tautomer being the pyridine N-oxide form. [3] [6]
The chemical structure of synthetically produced orellanine has been confirmed by X-ray crystallography. [9] [10] In this crystal structure, the two pyridine rings are nearly perpendicular to each other, making orellanine chiral. [9] [10] However, samples of orellanine extracted from mushrooms are optically inactive racemic mixtures, likely due to racemization during the extraction process. [3] [10]
Orellanine displays a wide spectrum of toxin effects in plants, animals, and microorganisms. [3] Although the mechanism of toxicity of orellanine is not yet fully understood, it likely targets cellular processes found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. [3] Orellanine has been found to inhibit the synthesis of biomolecules such as proteins, RNA, and DNA, and promote non-competitive inhibition of several enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase, γ-glutamyltransferase, and leucyl aminopeptidase. [3] In addition, orellanine has also been shown to interfere with the production of adenosine triphosphatase. [3]
Orellanine is a bipyridine with positively charged nitrogen atoms, and chemically resembles the bipyridine herbicides paraquat and diquat. [3] Like orellanine, paraquat and diquat are toxic not only to plants, but also to humans and livestock. Bipyridine compounds with charged nitrogen atoms disrupt important redox reactions in organisms, 'stealing' one or two electrons and sometimes passing the electrons along into other, often undesirable, redox reactions. The terminal products of these reactions can be harmful reactive oxygen species such as peroxide or superoxide ions, the latter of which are harmful to cells. It is thought that orellanine produces oxidative stress in a similar manner to paraquat and diquat. [3]
In humans, a characteristic of poisoning by the nephrotoxin orellanine is the long latency; the first symptoms usually do not appear until 2–4 to 14 days after ingestion. [3] The latent period decreases with the quantity of mushrooms consumed. [3] The first symptoms of orellanine poisoning are similar to the common flu (nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, headaches, myalgia, etc.), these symptoms are followed by early stages of kidney failure (immense thirst, frequent urination, pain on and around the kidneys) and eventually decreased or nonexistent urine output and other symptoms of kidney failure occur. If left untreated death will follow.
The LD50 of orellanine in mice is 12 to 20 mg per kg body weight; [11] [12] this is the dose which leads to death within two weeks. From cases of orellanine-related mushroom poisoning in humans it seems that the lethal dose for humans is considerably lower. [ citation needed ]
There is no known antidote against orellanine poisoning. Treatment consists mainly of supportive care and hemodialysis, if needed. [3] Complete recovery of renal function is recovered in only 30% of poisoned patients. [3] There are reports of cases where treatment using corticosteroids and antioxidants led to improved clinical outcomes. [3]
This compound is currently in clinical trials as a potential treatment for various forms of renal cancer. [13]
Gyromitra esculenta is an ascomycete fungus from the genus Gyromitra, widely distributed across Europe and North America. It normally fruits in sandy soils under coniferous trees in spring and early summer. The fruiting body, or mushroom, is an irregular brain-shaped cap dark brown in colour that can reach 10 centimetres high and 15 cm (6 in) wide, perched on a stout white stipe up to 6 cm high.
Gyromitrin is a toxin and carcinogen present in several members of the fungal genus Gyromitra, like G. esculenta. Its formula is C4H8N2O. It is unstable and is easily hydrolyzed to the toxic compound monomethylhydrazine CH3NHNH2. Monomethylhydrazine acts on the central nervous system and interferes with the normal use and function of vitamin B6. Poisoning results in nausea, stomach cramps, and diarrhea, while severe poisoning can result in convulsions, jaundice, or even coma or death. Exposure to monomethylhydrazine has been shown to be carcinogenic in small mammals.
Mushroom poisoning is poisoning resulting from the ingestion of mushrooms that contain toxic substances. Symptoms can vary from slight gastrointestinal discomfort to death in about 10 days. Mushroom toxins are secondary metabolites produced by the fungus.
Muscimol is a potent psychoactive compound found in certain mushrooms, most notably the Amanita muscaria and related species of mushroom. Muscimol is a potent and selective orthosteric agonist for the GABAA receptor.
Paraquat (trivial name; ), or N,N′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride (systematic name), also known as methyl viologen, is an organic compound with the chemical formula [(C6H7N)2]Cl2. It is classified as a viologen, a family of redox-active heterocycles of similar structure. This salt is one of the most widely used herbicides. It is quick-acting and non-selective, killing green plant tissue on contact. It is also toxic (lethal) to human beings and animals due to its redox activity, which produces superoxide anions. It has been linked to the development of Parkinson's disease and is banned in 58 countries.
Saxitoxin (STX) is a potent neurotoxin and the best-known paralytic shellfish toxin. Ingestion of saxitoxin by humans, usually by consumption of shellfish contaminated by toxic algal blooms, is responsible for the illness known as paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).
T-2 mycotoxin is a trichothecene mycotoxin. It is a naturally occurring mold byproduct of Fusarium spp. fungus which is toxic to humans and other animals. The clinical condition it causes is alimentary toxic aleukia and a host of symptoms related to organs as diverse as the skin, airway, and stomach. Ingestion may come from consumption of moldy whole grains. T-2 can be absorbed through human skin. Although no significant systemic effects are expected after dermal contact in normal agricultural or residential environments, local skin effects can not be excluded. Hence, skin contact with T-2 should be limited.
Palytoxin, PTX or PLTX is an intense vasoconstrictor, and is considered to be one of the most poisonous non-protein substances known, second only to maitotoxin in terms of toxicity in mice.
Abrin is an extremely toxic toxalbumin found in the seeds of the rosary pea, Abrus precatorius. It has a median lethal dose of 0.7 micrograms per kilogram of body mass when given to mice intravenously. The median toxic dose for humans ranges from 10 to 1000 micrograms per kilogram when ingested and is 3.3 micrograms per kilogram when inhaled.
Diquat is the ISO common name for an organic dication that, as a salt with counterions such as bromide or chloride is used as a contact herbicide that produces desiccation and defoliation. Diquat is no longer approved for use in the European Union, although its registration in many other countries including the USA is still valid.
Cortinarius is a globally distributed genus of mushrooms in the family Cortinariaceae. It is suspected to be the largest genus of agarics, containing over 2,000 widespread species. A common feature among all species in the genus Cortinarius is that young specimens have a cortina (veil) between the cap and the stem, hence the name, meaning curtained. Most of the fibres of the cortina are ephemeral and will leave no trace once gone, except for limited remnants on the stem or cap edge in some species. All have a rusty brown spore print. The common names cortinar and webcap refer to members of the genus. Due to dangerous toxicity of several species and the fact that it is difficult to distinguish between various species of the genus, non-expert consumption of mushrooms from the genus is discouraged.
Amatoxin is the collective name of a subgroup of at least nine related toxic compounds found in three genera of poisonous mushrooms and one species of the genus Pholiotina. Amatoxins are very potent, as little as half a mushroom cap can cause severe liver injury if swallowed.
The Cortinariaceae are a large family of gilled mushrooms found worldwide, containing over 2100 species. The family takes its name from its largest genus, the varied species of the genus Cortinarius. Many genera formerly in the Cortinariaceae have been placed in various other families, including Hymenogastraceae, Inocybaceae and Bolbitiaceae.
Nodularins are potent toxins produced by the cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena, among others. This aquatic, photosynthetic cyanobacterium forms visible colonies that present as algal blooms in brackish water bodies throughout the world. The late summer blooms of Nodularia spumigena are among the largest cyanobacterial mass occurrences in the world. Cyanobacteria are composed of many toxic substances, most notably of microcystins and nodularins: the two are not easily differentiated. A significant homology of structure and function exists between the two, and microcystins have been studied in greater detail. Because of this, facts from microcystins are often extended to nodularins.
Tutin is a poisonous plant derivative found in New Zealand tutu plants. It acts as a potent antagonist of the glycine receptor, and has powerful convulsant effects. It is used in scientific research into the glycine receptor. It is sometimes associated with outbreaks of toxic honey poisoning when bees feed on honeydew exudate from the sap-sucking passion vine hopper insect, when the vine hoppers have been feeding on the sap of tutu bushes. Toxic honey is a rare event and is more likely to occur when comb honey is eaten directly from a hive that has been harvesting honeydew from passionvine hoppers feeding on tutu plants.
The Orellani are a group of seven related species in the genus Cortinarius that have been classified as a section of the subgenus Leprocybe or a subgenus in their own right. They are among world's most poisonous mushrooms as they contain the highly toxic compound orellanine. The best-known species are the deadly webcap and the fool's webcap, C. orellanus.
Cortinarius orellanus, commonly known as the fool's webcap or fools webcap, is a species of deadly fungus in the family Cortinariaceae native to Europe. Within the genus it belongs to a group known as the Orellani, all of which are highly toxic—eating them results in kidney failure, which is often irreversible. The mushroom is generally tan to brown all over.
Juncusol is a 9,10-dihydrophrenathrene found in Juncus species such as J. acutus, J. effusus or J. roemerianus.
Atractyloside (ATR) is a natural, toxic glycoside present in numerous plant species worldwide in the daisy family including Atractylis gummifera and Callilepis laureola, and it's used for a variety of therapeutic, religious, and toxic purposes. Exposure to ATR via ingestion or physical contact is toxic and can be fatal for both humans and animals, especially by kidney and liver failure. ATR acts as an effective ADP/ATP translocase inhibitor which eventually halts ADP and ATP exchange and the cell dies due to lack of energy. Historically, atractyloside poisoning has been challenging to verify and quantify toxicologically, though recent literature has described such methods within acceptable standards of forensic science.
Acromelic acid A is a toxic compound that is part of a group known as kainoids, characterized by a structure bearing a pyrrolidine dicarboxylic acid, represented by kainic acid. Acromelic acid A has the molecular formula C13H14N2O7. It has been isolated from a Japanese poisonous mushroom, Clitocybe acromelalga. Acromelic acid is responsible for the poisonous aspects of the mushroom because of its potent neuroexcitatory and neurotoxic properties. Ingestion of the Clitocybe acromelalga, causes allodynia which can continue for over a month. The systemic administration of acromelic acid A in rats results in selective loss of interneurons in the lower spinal cord, without causing neuronal damage in the hippocampus and other regions.