Preface The chapters comprising this American Chemical Society (ACS) Series volume are derived from presentations at the Third International Symposium on Natural Toxins, which was convened at the 216 National Meeting of the ACS in Boston, Massachusetts, August 23-27,1998. The Symposium was sponsored by the Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and contained presentations from 26 scientists who represented 11 countries on four continents. A common characteristic of natural toxins is that minute quantities exert a pronounced deleterious effect on the metabolic and physiologic functions of a living organism. Because natural toxins usually express highly specific and po tent effects, they often serve as excellent candidates from which therapeutic drugs may be developed. Natural toxins discussed in the Symposium include compounds derived from marine, fungal, microbial, plant, and animal origins. In addition to the extensive coverage of naturally-occuring toxins, a session on forensic toxicology was incorporated into the Symposium, which covered topics on the toxicological effects of synthetic nerve agents and doping compounds. Although the latter compounds do not occur in Nature, their inclusion in the Symposium resulted from their development as superior alternatives to natural products for purposes of chemical warfare or enhanced athletic performance. Topics discussed in this book of particular timeliness include: (1) nerve agents that were dispersed in Tokyo subway stations in 1995 by terrorists and (2) mycotoxins reported to be incorporated into missiles that could serve as po tential sources of economic and political intimidation by renegade countries. Earlier symposia on natural toxins in this series were convened at Amer ican Chemical Society meetings in Washington, D C . (1990) and Anaheim, Cali fornia (1995). The editors are very appreciative of support from the Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and are pleased to acknowledge the excellent technical and editorial assistance provided by Kelly Dennis and Anne Wilson of ACS Books.
Natural and Selected Synthetic Toxins Downloaded from pubs.acs.org by 5.8.47.110 on 09/21/18. For personal use only.
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ANTHONY
T. TU Department of Biochmistry and Molecular Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80525 W I L L I A M GAFFIELD
Research Chemist Western Regional Research Center U.S. Department of Agriculture Albany, C A 94710
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