It is resistant, but not impervious, to digestion by peptidases. The poison acts by inhibiting protein synthesis in ribosomes, causing widespread cell death in numerous organic systems. It was famously used to assassinate Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov in 1978, the KGB injected him with a modified umbrella which injected a tiny pellet dosed with ricin into his bloodstream. The LD 50 (median lethal dose) is roughly 22 micrograms per kilograms in humans. When inhaled or injected, just a few grains of it can kill an adult, due to its high toxicity: refining the pulp of as few as eight beans can create a dangerous amount of ricin. Ricin is highly poisonous if inhaled or injected, but less so when ingested. Ricin is a naturally occurring protein derived from the beans of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis.
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