Analytical determination of ricinine for the diagnosis of Ricinus communis poisoning in ruminants

Ricinus communis, commonly known as the castor bean, is a toxic plant that often causes poisoning in animals. The present study aims to develop and validate an analytical method for determining ricinine levels in urine, liver, and bovine ruminal fluid samples for use as a chemical marker in diagnosing poisoning by R. communis using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet detection. The method developed in this study showed that the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of ricinine varied according to the wavelength used, being lower when using 208 nm, followed by 308 nm and 315 nm. In liver samples, the LOD was 0.375 μg/g (using a wavelength of 218 nm) and 1.25 μg/g (315 nm), and the LOQ was 1.25 μg/g (218 nm) and 4.175 μg/g (315 nm). For rumen fluid and urine samples, the LOD was 0.15 μg/mL (218 nm) and 0.5 μg/mL (315 nm), respectively, and the LOQ was 0.5 μg/mL (218 nm) and 1.67 μg/mL (315 nm), respectively. Thus, the detection of ricinine to confirm the exposure to castor beans can be achieved using the extraction method presented in this work, followed by analysis via HPLC and UV-Vis detection of liver, urine, and ruminal fluid samples.