Plant Lectins as Inhibitors of Tumour Growth and Modulators of Host Immune Response

Ganguly, Chaiti; Das, Sukta

doi:10.1159/000239204

Cited by 55 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(13 reference statements)

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“…Further analysis of this mechanism of profound toxicity may provide insights relevant to the treatment of pancreatic cancer (Schwarz et al, 1999). Ganguly and Das (1994) studied the effect of WGA (75 µg) on lymphoma cell survival and found that it was able to restrict tumor growth in comparison with the control. found that the WGA-isolectins, distinguishable only by a few amino acid differences, interacted in different degrees with leukemic cells and manifested different cytoagglutinating and cytotoxic activities.…”

Section: In Vitro Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lectins as Bioactive Plant Proteins: A Potential in Cancer Treatment

Mejı́a

Prisecaru

2005

Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

286

159

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Plant lectins, a unique group of proteins and glycoproteins with potent biological activity, occur in foods like wheat, corn, tomato, peanut, kidney bean, banana, pea, lentil, soybean, mushroom, rice, and potato. Thus, dietary intakes by humans can be significant. Many lectins resist digestion, survive gut passage, and bind to gastrointestinal cells and/or enter the circulation intact, maintaining full biological activity. Several lectins have been found to possess anticancer properties in vitro, in vivo, and in human case studies; they are used as therapeutic agents, preferentially binding to cancer cell membranes or their receptors, causing cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and inhibition of tumor growth. These compounds can become internalized into cells, causing cancer cell agglutination and/or aggregation. Ingestion of lectins also sequesters the available body pool of polyamines, thereby thwarting cancer cell growth. They also affect the immune system by altering the production of various interleukins, or by activating certain protein kinases. Lectins can bind to ribosomes and inhibit protein synthesis. They also modify the cell cycle by inducing non-apoptotic G1-phase accumulation mechanisms, G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and can activate the caspase cascade. Lectins can also downregulate telomerase activity and inhibit angiogenesis. Although lectins seem to have great potential as anticancer agents, further research is still needed and should include a genomic and proteomic approach.

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Section: In Vitro Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lectins as Bioactive Plant Proteins: A Potential in Cancer Treatment

Mejı́a

Prisecaru

2005

Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

286

159

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“…33 Several lectins have been reported to have antitumor activities, which were considered to be due to cooperation with macrophages. [34][35][36] Furthermore, several studies have proven that lectins improve immunomodulatory activity in macrophages by enhancing the phagocytosis and the secretion of cytokines. [28][29][30] Nucleic acid functions in encoding, transmitting, and expressing genetic information and plays a crucial role in biological phenomena such as growth, reproduction, and heredity.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Musca domestica Pupae Lectin Improves the Immunomodulatory Activity of Macrophages by Activating Nuclear Factor-κB

Cao

Zhou²,

Hou³

et al. 2012

Journal of Medicinal Food

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In this study, Musca domestica pupae lectin (MPL) was screened for its immunomodulatory effect on macrophages. The phagocytosis of macrophages was improved significantly when they were treated with MPL: remarkable changes were observed in the morphology of the cells, the metabolic abilities of DNA and RNA were enhanced, and the production of hepatin was increased. Meanwhile, compared with the control group, not only the mRNA expressions of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interferon-c (IFN-c) in macrophages, but also the productions of proteins, were strongly induced by MPL; these effects were inhibited by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate. Further study suggested that MPL could increase the nuclear factor-jB (NF-jB) p65 level in the nucleus. Overall, these results indicate that the improving immunomodulatory activity induced by MPL is mainly due to the increasing productions of TNF-a, IL-6, and IFN-c and that the activation of macrophage by MPL is partly mediated via the NF-jB pathway.

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“…Interaction of cellular glycoconjugate with lectin in cell signaling induces cellular growth, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis; and anticancer potential of some plant lectins has been reported (Wimer, 1990(Wimer, , 2003 Das, 1994). Mistletoe extract containing VAA as a major constituent is frequently used as an alternative cancer therapeutic and immunomodulatory agent (Hajto et al, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%