An intranasally administered monoclonal antibody cocktail abrogates ricin toxin-induced pulmonary tissue damage and inflammation

Ricin toxin, a plant-derived, mannosylated glycoprotein, elicits an incapacitating and potentially lethal inflammatory response in the airways following inhalation. Uptake of ricin by alveolar macrophages (AM) and other pulmonary cell types occurs via two parallel pathways: one mediated by ricin’s B subunit (RTB), a galactose-specific lectin, and one mediated by the mannose receptor (MR;CD206). Ricin’s A subunit (RTA) is a ribosome-inactivating...