Yunnan Institute of Microbiology, School of Life Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, Yunnan, P. R. China.
School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, 362021, Quanzhou, P. R. China.
Commun Biol. 2020 May 8;3(1):228. doi: 10.1038/s42003-020-0919-z.
The toxic kernel cake of Jatropha curcas (KCakeJ) is an emerging health and environmental concern. Although phorbol esters are widely recognized as the major toxin of KCakeJ, convincing evidence is absent. Here, we show that rather than phorbol esters an isomeric mixture of 11-hydroxy-9E-octadecenoic acid, 12-hydroxy-10E-octadecenoic acid and 12-hydroxy-10Z-octadecenoic acid (hydroxy-octadecenoic acids, molecular formula CHO) is the major toxic component. The toxicities of hydroxy-octadecenoic acids on experimental animals, e.g. acute lethality, causing inflammation, pulmonary hemorrhage and thrombi, allergies, diarrhea and abortion, are consistent with those on human/animals caused by Jatropha seed and/or KCakeJ. The hydroxyl group and the double bond are essential for hydroxy-octadecenoic acids' toxicity. The main pathway of the toxicity mechanism includes down-regulating UCP3 gene expression, promoting ROS production, thus activating CD62P expression (platelet activation) and mast cell degranulation. The identification of the major toxin of KCakeJ lays a foundation for establishing an environmentally friendly Jatropha biofuel industry.
麻疯树毒仁饼（KCakeJ）是一种新兴的健康和环境问题。虽然已广泛认为巴豆醇二酯是 KCakeJ 的主要毒素，但目前仍缺乏确凿的证据。在这里，我们发现，与巴豆醇二酯不同，11-羟基-9E-十八烯酸、12-羟基-10E-十八烯酸和 12-羟基-10Z-十八烯酸（羟基十八烯酸，分子式 CHO）的混合物才是主要的有毒成分。羟基十八烯酸对实验动物的毒性，如急性致死性、引起炎症、肺出血和血栓形成、过敏、腹泻和流产，与麻疯树种子和/或 KCakeJ 对人类/动物的毒性一致。羟基和双键是羟基十八烯酸毒性的必要条件。毒性机制的主要途径包括下调 UCP3 基因表达，促进 ROS 产生，从而激活 CD62P 表达（血小板激活）和肥大细胞脱颗粒。确定 KCakeJ 的主要毒素为建立环保型麻疯树生物燃料产业奠定了基础。
