Mechanistic Studies of in vitroAnti-Proliferative Potential of Arisaena intermedium Lectin

Abstract

ABSTRACT-Aberrant glycosylation has been recognized as hallmark of cancer. Exploiting differences in glycosylation between malignant and healthy tissues offers excellent opportunities to identify sensitive and specific cancer biomarkers. Plant lectins have demonstrated the ability to specifically agglutinate malignant transformed cells. Lectins are sugar binding proteins or glycoprotein of non-immune origin which agglutinate cells or precipitate glycol-conjugates. Some lectins shown to the anti-proliferative effect on cancer cells. A wide scope of this application of lectins is that it can be used for diagnosis as well as therapeutics of cancer. The objective of the present study was to purify a lectin from tubers of Arisaema intermedium and evaluate in vitro anti-proliferative potential towards HCT-15, a human colon cancer cell line. The present study was conceived as an offshoot to the ongoing work on lectins in our laboratory. The already reported Arisaema intermedium (AIL) lectin was purified on asialofetuin linked amino-activated silica bead matrix. The purity of the affinity purified lectin was ascertained by SDS-PAGE, pH-8.3. The lectin activity was assessed by hemagglutination and protein concentration was determined by Lowry's method. The cytotoxicity of AIL towards HCT-15 was evaluated by MTT assay. The mechanism of anti-proliferative effect was assessed by evaluation of cell morphology, trypan blue exclusion assay, DNA fragmentation and nucleic acid content determination.