Botulinum Toxin

Question: How could I find/ gather or create Botulinum toxin? I woul like to know how to get this toxin Botulinum. I heard small doses will help certain diseases but one milogram will kill you, I would like to know how to find around 1 gram.

Answer: and every law enforcement and anti terrorist agency in the world will want to have a nice long talk with you, too!Like a life in prison, do you?

Question: Botulinum Toxin? What enzymes pathways are affected by this toxin? What type of inhibitor is it?

Answer: The toxin is a two-chain polypeptide with a 100-kDa heavy chain joined by a disulfide bond to a 50-kDa light chain. This light chain is an enzyme (a protease) that attacks one of the fusion proteins (SNAP-25, syntaxin or synaptobrevin) at a neuromuscular junction, preventing vesicles from anchoring to the membrane to release acetylcholine. By inhibiting acetylcholine release, the toxin interferes with nerve impulses and causes flaccid (sagging) paralysis of muscles in botulism as opposite to the spastic paralysis seen in tetanus.

Question: Can the botulinum toxin form in a oxygen rich aquatic solution? I know it doesn't form in the presence of oxygen, but is this the same when dealing with a liquid?

Answer: For botulinum to form, the environment must be anaerobic, not anoxic. There can be molecular oxygen present.

Question: Botulinum toxin (BT) is not only the basis of Botox treatments but is also used in many medical application? Recent studies have shown that after this chemical is injected into synapses of facial neurons, it appears in the brain. How would you hypothesize that BT travels to the brain in these circumstances?

Answer: Botox was originally developed to treat spastic conditions like the commonest type of cerebral palsy. Injected into a muscle, it resulted in greater range of motion, making physical therapy easier. AS far as how Botox gets to the brain I would assume that it is blood borne.

Question: Please has anyone tried using Botulinum toxin to treat Strabismus. I read that it works. How true is that? I've got Strabismus, started like 5 years ago, and though it does not affect my confidence, i just want it gone. So please if anyone has concrete info, pls share.

Answer: Yes, botox can be used to treat strabismus. It depends on the underlying cause of your strabismus. If your strabismus is caused by a muscle paresis, botox can be injected into the antagonist muscle to prevent it from working, thus straightening your eye. I have seen patients with marked improvement in their alignment, though it has usually been temporary. (a few months) Please visit with a pediatric ophthalmologist and ask them if you're a good candidate for botox or if you're a better candidate for other treatments. The first link explains more about strabismus, and the second is a link of info from Children's Hospital they give their patients who are having Botox treatments for strabismus. http://www.aapos.org/displaycommon.cfm?a… http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinica…

Question: What food posioning disease does Botulinum toxin cause? The disease it causes begins with a "P"

Answer: Botulinum toxin is potentially one of the more dangerous toxins known. When ingested it can cause a variety of symptoms such as weakness, difficulty swallowing, and dry mouth to name a few. Ultimately if enough of the toxin is ingested it is able to produce paralysis and death. Because of these symptoms the diagnosis of Botulism is usually misdiagnosed. There are two diseases which may be commonly misdiagnosed with botulism (that begin with a P), poliomyelitis (polio) and psychiatric conversion reaction. Hope this helps!

Question: If someone drank botulinum toxin, would they die? My friend and I have a bet. I say yes. (note we're not actually going to drink it, we are both chem and bio geeks though and I say yes and he says no.)

Answer: Absolutely it would kill you...if you had enough and depending on whether supportive care was available. Ingesting botulinum toxin from food contaminated by the bacteria is the typical means of poisoning (for adults) and its lethal at about 0.005-0.05 µg/kg (per wiki). The toxin gets itself transported into the presynaptic motor nerve axon terminus and stops the release of acetyl choline (neurotransmitter). If you have enough you lose all your muscle function including respiratory muscles and you can't breath.

Question: About how many ng of Botulinum toxin are injected as Botox when used as a cosmetic? including all known proteins ;)

Answer: Apparently around 100 units of toxin are used. The toxin is 150kDa Some quick math and 2.5 x 10^-8 ng.

Question: What is botulinum toxin A? Is it absolutly save for facial wrinkles or is there a chance of dying after it?

Answer: This is Botox. Some people have a slight headache after treatment for several hours; it is safe to take paracetamol to relieve this. Very long lasting headaches have rarely been reported. A bruise at the site of injection is possible. Injection into the palms can cause muscle weakness and result in temporary clumsiness. The most common significant complication, which is rare, is "ptosis". This is a drooping of the eyelid caused by the botulinum toxin tracking into the eyelid muscle. It generally lasts just a few days, but more prolonged weakness is possible.

Question: in dire need of help. anyone know about botulinum toxin? answers to any of these would be nice. 1) do you know its natural location? since it's produced by C botulinum im guessing it comes from soil and canned foods that werent properly sealed. and it affects humans if they ingest it. im not sure if i am right or not. 2) what is its function (what metabolic process is it involved in overall, what specific job does it do, what is the mechanism of its function)? i think it has to do with the toxin blocking off the receptors of the nerve to the muscle. but its just my guess im not sure. 3) the proteins structure, including secondary structire and overall 3D shape, the location of ligand binding sites for function and regulation. this i really dont know. please help me. thanks.

Answer: Well I have no idea really what you are talking about but here are some websites that might help you greatly.