Properties of Galactose Specific Lectin from Bosqueia Angolensis Pulp

Abstract

Lectins are heterogeneous class of proteins (glycoproteins) that do not alter their covalent structure even after binding. They are found in a wide range of vegetables and some fruits. They are known to have biological activities including anti-proliferative, anti-tumour, mitogenic, vasorelaxing, immune-potentiating, insecticidal, antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial and hypotensive. The sugar specificity of a lectin which can be obtained from inhibition experiments using simple sugars and crude lectin preparations, permits the design of a suitable purification procedure. The aims of this study are to determine the beneficial properties of partially purified B. angolensis pulp lectin. This study was carried out to investigate the properties of protein extract obtained from Bosqueia angolensis pulp. The crude extract was partially purified using 70% (NH₄)₂SO₄ saturation. The precipitate was dialysed. The hemaglutinating activity of the lectin was investigated using blood group O, A, B and Rabbit blood. The sugar that inhibited the agglutination of the blood most was galactose which was employed in the minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) assay. The minimum concentrations at which galactose exhibits its inhibition capacity to agglutination of blood using crude and purified lectin are 0.05mM and 0.8mM respectively. The lectin has positive hemagglutination activity for both rabbit and human erythrocytes with preference to rabbit erythrocytes and it does not agglutinate blood group O of the human red blood cells. Conclusively, Bosqueia angolensis pulp extract contains protein (lectin) that has hemaglutinating activity which is galactose specific and can be effectively exploited for pharmaceutical and various industrial applications.