Purification of a Lectin from Arisaema erubescens (Wall.) Schott and Its Pro-Inflammatory Effects

Abstract

The monocot lectin from the tubers of Arisaema erubescens (Wall.) Schott has been purified by consecutive hydrophobic chromatography and ion exchange chromatography methods. The molecular weight of this A. erubescens lectin (AEL) was determined to be about 12 kDa by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) methods. AEL could agglutinate rabbit erythrocytes. The haemagglutination activity of AEL was only inhibited by asialofetuin, while monosaccharide did not react. Rat paw edema and neutrophil migration models were used to investigate the pro-inflammatory activity of AEL. AEL (100 and 200 μg/paw) could induce significant rat paw edema. In addition, AEL (100, 200 and 300 μg/mL/cavity) could induce significant and dose-dependent neutrophil migration in the rat peritoneal cavities. Besides, AEL at doses ranging from 100 to 300 μg/mL/cavity could significantly increase the concentration of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in peritoneal fluid. As compared with control animals, 75% depletion in the number of resident cells following peritoneal lavage did not reduce the AEL-induced neutrophil migration. However, pre-treatment with 3% thioglycollate which increased the peritoneal macrophage population by 201%, enhanced the neutrophil migration induced by AEL (200 μg/mL/cavity) (p < 0.05). Reduction of peritoneal mast cell population by chronic treatment of rat peritoneal cavities with compound 48/80 (N-methyl-p-methoxyphenethylamine with formaldehyde) did not modify AEL-induced neutrophil migration. The results provided the basis for identifying the toxic components of A. erubescens and AEL could be a new useful tool for pro-inflammatory research.

Pinellia ternata lectin exerts a pro-inflammatory effect on macrophages by inducing the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, the activation of the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway and the overproduction of reactive oxygen species

“…Vatairea macrocarpa lectin (VML), Pisum arvense lectin (PAL), Helianthus tuberosus lectin (HTL) and Dioclea rostrata lectin (DRL) induced acute inflammation through neutrophils migration in vivo, and injecting culture supernatants of DRA-stimulated macrophages in vivo significantly induced the release of TNF-α, IL-1β and NO in the mouse peritoneal fluid (5,6,(12)(13)(14)27). In our previous study, Arisaema erubescens lectin, which was derived from a plant in the Arisaema family, induced rat paw edema and in vivo neutrophil migration, possibly by releasing inflammatory mediators from macrophages (19).…”

“…Furthermore, our previous study revealed that certain lectins from plants in the Araceae family also had such pro-inflammatory effects, and that a lectin purified from Arisaema erubescens (Wall.) Schott induced rat paw edema and neutrophil migration, possibly via the release of inflammatory mediators from macrophages (19).…”

Preparation of Astragalus membranaceus lectin and evaluation of its biological function

“…Detection of agglutination titer. The hemagglutination effect of AML on human and animal erythrocytes was as follows: Human (A type), 1/2 9 ; human (B type), 1/2 8 ; human (AB type), 1/2 8 ; human (O type), 1/2 10 ; rat, 1/2 9 ; mouse, 1/2 8 ; rabbit, 1/2 10 . At the initial concentration of 1 mg/ml, 1/2 8 =3.91 µg/ml, 1/2 9 =1.95 µg/ml and 1/2 10 =0.97 µg/ml (data not shown).…”

“…Lectin contains a variable amino acid sequence, and is widely distributed in microbes, virus' and plants (9). The specificity of lectin extends not only to sugar-binding activity but also to function, structure and tissue expression (10). Certain studies have revealed that lectin exhibits various biological activities, including insecticidal activity (4), antifungal action (5), Antitumor effects (6), antivirus action (7) and immunomodulatory effects (8).…”

Stimulation of dendritic cell maturation and induction of apoptosis in lymphoma cells by a stable lectin from buckwheat seeds

“…Studies have shown that some plant lectins have several applications within the plant body, such as in pathogen defense mechanisms (Vandenborre et al, 2011), or outside the body, such as drug delivery (Bies et al, 2004), as well as a variety of diagnostic applications for a broad spectrum of diseases (Gemeiner et al, 2009). However, there are few reports on the function that promotes maturation and proliferation of dendritic cells (DCs) (Liu et al, 2011), and further study on the function of lectin on immune cells is warranted.…”