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I haven't done any #PenAndInkPoison in a while - I've been busy - so here you go. Today we'll talk about a toxin with a significant history and mechanism of action, and also dabbles into conspiracy theories. I present to you T-2 MYCOTOXIN: OF FUNGAL TOXINS AND BEE POOP, a 🧵. 
T-2 Mycotoxin is produced by species of the fungal genus Fusarium. They're essentially molds that grow in soils and affect plants. If you grow tomatoes that yellow, wither, and die in late summer, you've probably heard of "Fusarium wilt."
Back to T-2 Mycotoxin, it belongs to a class of chemical compounds called trichothecenes. One I've talked about before is VOMITOXIN, which affects wheat and can make you...vomit. T-2 Mycotoxin does the same.
Ready for some #PenAndInkPoison?
For some reason, I like the poisons in our food. I should clarify: I like the poisons *nature* puts in our food. We all gotta eat, right?
So buckle up for a 🧵, for today I present you with something new: BONGKREKIC ACID
For some reason, I like the poisons in our food. I should clarify: I like the poisons *nature* puts in our food. We all gotta eat, right?
So buckle up for a 🧵, for today I present you with something new: BONGKREKIC ACID
Have you ever had tempeh? It's an Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans. Tempeh is sold as a very firm cake and has a wonderful nutty, earthy flavor. It's common in vegetarian and vegan cooking. I like it a lot. [FoodCraftLab (CC BY-SA-2.0)]
So tempeh is a common, staple food, made from soybeans. On the island of Java, however, is a type of tempeh made from coconut called tempeh bongkrek. And it can be toxic. Toxic tempeh.
For some #PenAndInkPoison today I want to talk about thebaine, mentioned briefly yesterday when discussing laudanosine and papaverine. Morphine gets all the glory as an opium poppy alkaloid, but I'd argue that thebaine is much, much more important.
Thebaine is not used therapeutically but is used commercially in the synthesis of some of the most important opioids we have on the market today. In anywhere from 2 to 8 steps you can produce all of the opioids shown below - there are more, but these are the important ones.
On the right, we have the opioid agonists oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone. Hydrocodone is the most frequently prescribed opioid analgesic (pain reliever) in the U.S. We all know about oxycodone (Oxycontin). And hydromorphone is used a ton in hospitals.
