What is linamarin and Lotaustralin?
LINAMARIN – THE TOXIC COMPOUND OF CASSAVA: According to Cooke (6), linamarin and lotaustralin, are the two different cyanogenic glucosides in cassava plant. Roots and leaves contain the highest amount of linamarin (8,14).
What are cyanogenic glucosides?
Cyanogenic glucosides are phytoanticipins known to be present in more than 2500 plant species. They are considered to have an important role in plant defense against herbivores due to bitter taste and release of toxic hydrogen cyanide upon tissue disruption.
What does the chemical linamarin turn into in the human body?
Linamarin is hydrolyzed in the intestinal tract by microbial flora releasing cyanide. The cyanide is absorbed at sublethal levels and normally converted to thiocyanate.
What is cyanogenic poison?
Cyanogenic glycosides are natural plant toxins that are present in several plants, most of which are consumed by humans. Cyanide is formed following the hydrolysis of cyanogenic glycosides that occur during crushing of the edible plant material either during consumption or during processing of the food crop.
What is Linamarin used for?
Upon exposure to enzymes and gut flora in the human intestine, linamarin and its methylated relative lotaustralin can decompose to the toxic chemical hydrogen cyanide; hence food uses of plants that contain significant quantities of linamarin require extensive preparation and detoxification.
What causes Konzo?
Konzo (tied legs) is a tropical myelopathy with abrupt onset and upper motor-neuron pattern also caused by dietary cyanide intoxication from insufficiently processed cassava roots.
Which drug is under the chemical class of cyanogenic glycoside?
Amygdalin, an anticancer agent, belongs to cyanogenic glycoside family.
Why is linamarin poisonous?
5.2 Preparation and consumption. It is a high health risk to eat cassava leaves and roots raw because the cyanogenic glucosides linamarin and lotaustralin in cassava roots and leaves can produce free hydrogen cyanide, which is toxic to humans.