A patent review of the antimicrobial applications of lectins: Perspectives on therapy of infectious diseases.

Patents of lectins with antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal applications were searched and reviewed. Lectins are proteins that reversibly bind to specific carbohydrates and have the potential for therapy of infectious diseases as biopharmaceuticals, biomedical tools or in drug design. Given the rising concerns over drug resistance and epidemics, our patent review aims to add information, open horizons and indicate our view of the future perspectives about the antimicrobial applications of lectins. Patents with publications until December 2020 were retrieved from Espacenet using defined search terms and Boolean operators. The documents were used to identify the geographical and temporal distribution of the patents, characterize their lectins, and classify and summarize their antiviral, antibiotic and antifungal applications. Lectins are promising antiviral agents against viruses with epidemics and drug resistance concerns. Mannose-binding lectins were the most suggested antiviral agents since glycans with mannose residues are commonly involved in viral entry mechanisms. They were also immobilized onto surfaces to trap viral particles and inhibit their spread and replication. Many patents described the extraction, isolation, amino acid and nucleotide sequences, and expression vectors of lectins with antibiotic and/or antifungal activities in terms of MIC and IC50 for in vitro assays. The inventions also included lectins as biological tools in nanosensors for antibiotics susceptibility tests, drug-delivery systems for the treatment of resistant bacteria, diagnostics of viral diseases and as a vaccine adjuvant. Although research and development of new medicines is highly expensive, antimicrobial lectins may be worth investments given the emergence of epidemics and drug resistance. For this purpose, less invasive routes should be developed as alternatives to the parenteral administration of biologics. While anti-glycan neutralizing antibodies are difficult to develop due to the low immunogenicity of carbohydrates, lectins can be produced more easily and have a broad-spectrum activity. Protein engineering technologies may make the antimicrobial applications of lectins more successful.

Innovation in the teaching of human physiology at university and school: pedagogical process based on interdisciplinarity and learning station rotation.

This paper presents the description and analysis of a didactic experience involving the participation of a university and a community school, developed as part of the National Science and Technology Week, at a public university in northeastern Brazil. For this purpose, the use of learning station rotation enabled innovation in the teaching of physiology integrated with biochemistry and health education contents. The didactic approach consisted of creating a learning circuit comprising seven stations. The central theme of the stations emphasized physiology, with specific foci on biochemistry and cardiorespiratory and endocrine health. Each station provided unique activities related to the central theme, including a station concerning digital technology in physiology. The school students were divided into small groups (6 or 7 people) that rotated through the stations, with a total of 81 students visiting each station. A qualitative assessment was performed using a Likert-scale questionnaire to measure the level of satisfaction of the students. It was found that this didactic approach increased the receptivity of the students to the contents, facilitated student-teacher dialogue, and provided an excellent tool for establishing an interface between the university and the community school. Overall, 76.5% of the students rated the activity as excellent.

Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity of chitin-binding lectin from Canna limbata seeds.

Lectins are a structurally heterogeneous group of proteins or glycoproteins with at least one noncatalytic domain binding reversibly to a specific mono- or oligosaccharide. Monocot mannose-binding lectins are an extended superfamily of structurally and evolutionarily related proteins. In this study, we evaluated anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of monocot lectin from the Canna limbata seeds (CLL). To accomplish this, CLL was purified and subjected to pharmacological assays: abdominal writhing induced by acetic acid, formalin, hot plate and Zymosan A-induced peritonitis tests. The CLL was purified by chromatographic chitin column, and the relative mass of 21 kDa observed in electrophoresis was confirmed by electrospray mass spectrometry, which also revealed that purified CLL consists of a dimer having a weight of 49,676 Da. The CLL showed nociceptive activity in the acetic acid test as well as peripheral antinociceptive response. The CLL also showed anti-inflammatory effect with the reduction of inflammation in the formalin test and neutrophil migration into the peritoneal cavity. This is the first report of anti-inflammatory activity for a monocot lectin, and it suggests a new pharmacological tool to understand inflammatory and antinociceptive processes mediated through lectins.

Fine specificities of two lectins from Cymbosema roseum seeds: a lectin specific for high-mannose oligosaccharides and a lectin specific for blood group H type II trisaccharide.

The legume species of Cymbosema roseum of Diocleinae subtribe produce at least two different seed lectins. The present study demonstrates that C. roseum lectin I (CRL I) binds with high affinity to the "core" trimannoside of N-linked oligosaccharides. Cymbosema roseum lectin II (CRL II), on the other hand, binds with high affinity to the blood group H trisaccharide (Fucα1,2Galα1-4GlcNAc-). Thermodynamic and hemagglutination inhibition studies reveal the fine binding specificities of the two lectins. Data obtained with a complete set of monodeoxy analogs of the core trimannoside indicate that CRL I recognizes the 3-, 4- and 6-hydroxyl groups of the α(1,6) Man residue, the 3- and 4-hydroxyl group of the α(1,3) Man residue and the 2- and 4-hydroxyl groups of the central Man residue of the trimannoside. CRL I possesses enhanced affinities for the Man5 oligomannose glycan and a biantennary complex glycan as well as glycoproteins containing high-mannose glycans. On the other hand, CRL II distinguishes the blood group H type II epitope from the Lewis(x), Lewis(y), Lewis(a) and Lewis(b) epitopes. CRL II also distinguishes between blood group H type II and type I trisaccharides. CRL I and CRL II, respectively, possess differences in fine specificities when compared with other reported mannose and fucose recognizing lectins. This is the first report of a mannose-specific lectin (CRL I) and a blood group H type II-specific lectin (CRL II) from seeds of a member of the Diocleinae subtribe.

Structural basis for both pro- and anti-inflammatory response induced by mannose-specific legume lectin from Cymbosema roseum.

Legume lectins, despite high sequence homology, express diverse biological activities that vary in potency and efficacy. In studies reported here, the mannose-specific lectin from Cymbosema roseum (CRLI), which binds N-glycoproteins, shows both pro-inflammatory effects when administered by local injection and anti-inflammatory effects when by systemic injection. Protein sequencing was obtained by Tandem Mass Spectrometry and the crystal structure was solved by X-ray crystallography using a Synchrotron radiation source. Molecular replacement and refinement were performed using CCP4 and the carbohydrate binding properties were described by affinity assays and computational docking. Biological assays were performed in order to evaluate the lectin edematogenic activity. The crystal structure of CRLI was established to a 1.8Å resolution in order to determine a structural basis for these differing activities. The structure of CRLI is closely homologous to those of other legume lectins at the monomer level and assembles into tetramers as do many of its homologues. The CRLI carbohydrate binding site was predicted by docking with a specific inhibitory trisaccharide. CRLI possesses a hydrophobic pocket for the binding of α-aminobutyric acid and that pocket is occupied in this structure as are the binding sites for calcium and manganese cations characteristic of legume lectins. CRLI route-dependent effects for acute inflammation are related to its carbohydrate binding domain (due to inhibition caused by the presence of α-methyl-mannoside), and are based on comparative analysis with ConA crystal structure. This may be due to carbohydrate binding site design, which differs at Tyr12 and Glu205 position.

Pharmacological analysis of the neutrophil migration induced by D. rostrata lectin: involvement of cytokines and nitric oxide.

In the present study, we investigated the involvement of resident cell and inflammatory mediators in the neutrophil migration induced by chemotactic activity of a glucose/mannose-specific lectin isolated from Dioclea rostrata seeds (DrosL). Rats were injected i.p. with DrosL (125-1000 microg/cavity), and at 2-96 h thereafter the leukocyte counts in peritoneal fluid were determined. DrosL-induced a dose-dependent neutrophil migration accumulation, which reached maximal response at 24 h after injection and declines thereafter. The carbohydrate ligand nearly abolished the neutrophil influx. Pre-treatment of peritoneal cavities with thioglycolate which increases peritoneal macrophage numbers, enhanced neutrophil migration induced by DrosL by 303%. However, the reduction of peritoneal mast cell numbers by treatment of the cavities with compound 48/80 did not modify DrosL-induced neutrophil migration. The injection into peritoneal cavities of supernatants from macrophage cultures stimulated with DrosL (125, 250 and 500 microg/ml) induced neutrophil migration. In addition, DrosL treatment induced cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and CINC-1) and NO release into the peritoneal cavity of rats. Finally, neutrophil chemotaxis assay in vitro showed that the lectin (15 and 31 microg/ml) induced neutrophil chemotaxis by even 180%. In conclusion, neutrophil migration induced by D. rostrata lectin occurs by way of the release of NO and cytokines such as IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and CINC-1.

Purification, characterization, and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a lactose-specific lectin from Cymbosema roseum seeds.

The unique carbohydrate-binding property of lectins makes them invaluable tools in biomedical research. Here, we report the purification, partial primary structure, carbohydrate affinity characterization, crystallization, and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a lactose-specific lectin from Cymbosema roseum seeds (CRLII). Isolation and purification of CRLII was performed by a single step using a Sepharose-4B-lactose affinity chromatography column. The carbohydrate affinity characterization was carried using assays for hemagglutination activity and inhibition. CRLII showed hemagglutinating activity toward rabbit erythrocytes. O-glycoproteins from mucine mucopolysaccharides showed the most potent inhibition capacity at a minimum concentration of 1.2 microg mL(-1). Protein sequencing by mass spectrometry was obtained by the digestion of CRLII with trypsin, Glu-C, and AspN. CRLII partial protein sequence exhibits 46% similarity with the ConA-like alpha chain precursor. Suitable protein crystals were obtained with the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method with 8% ethylene glycol, 0.1 M Tris-HCl pH 8.5, and 11% PEG 8,000. The monoclinic crystals belong to space group P2(1) with unit cell parameters a = 49.4, b = 89.6, and c = 100.8 A.

Vatairea macrocarpa (Leguminosae) lectin activates cultured macrophages to release chemotactic mediators.

The lectin from the legume Vatairea macrocarpa is a galactose/N-acetylgalactosamine binding protein that induced cellular inflammatory response mediated by resident cells. This study investigated which inflammatory mediators would be released from lectin-activated cells. The intraperitoneal injection in rats of the supernatant from cultured macrophages, but not from mast cells, stimulated with lectin induced a time- and dose-dependent release of a neutrophil chemotactic factor, termed MNCF-VML. Pharmacological modulation with dexamethasone inhibited both the lectin-induced chemotactic activity in vivo and also the lectin-induced release of MNCF-VML into the supernatant of cultured macrophages. Cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase metabolites are apparently not involved in the action of this factor or its release, since indomethacin or MK886 were unable to affect the lectin response. The molecular weight of MNCF-VML was found to be greater than 5 kDa, which led to the investigation of which cytokine(s) could be involved by the following approaches: (a) treatment of animals with antiserum to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1, or IL-8 before intraperitoneal injection of lectin and (b) addition of antiserum to TNF-alpha, IL-1, or IL-8 to the supernatant of lectin-stimulated macrophages before intraperitoneal administration. Antiserum to TNF-alpha, but not IL-1 nor IL-8, inhibited the neutrophil migration induced either by lectin or MNCF-VML. Our data suggest that neutrophil migration induced by V. macrocarpa lectin occurs via the release of cytokines such as TNF-alpha by macrophages. Thus, this lectin may represent an important tool to better understand pathological situations where an excess of leukocytes at inflammatory sites causes tissue injury.

Modulation of acute inflammation by a chitin-binding lectin from Araucaria angustifolia seeds via mast cells.

The effects of a lectin (AaL) from seeds of Araucaria angustifolia were investigated in the model of rat paw edema. In vivo anti-and pro-inflammatory activities, role of sugar residues, inflammatory mediators and systemic toxicity were assessed. Intravenous injection of AaL (0.1-1 mg/kg) dose-dependently inhibited the dextran-induced increase in edema and vascular permeability, which were prevented by association of the lectin with its binding sugar N-acetyl-glucosamine (Glyc-Nac). AaL also significantly inhibited edema induced by serotonin (18%) and compound 48/80 (33%), but not edema induced by histamine. In contrast, when applied by the s.c. route, AaL evoked a paw edema that peaked 1 h later and was partially prevented by association with Glyc-Nac (59%) or by prior i.v. administration of the lectin itself (38.8%). This AaL edematogenic activity was significantly inhibited by pentoxifylline (44.4%) or dexamethasone (51%) and also by depletion of rat paw mast cells (45.6%), but not by L-N-nitro-arginine methyl ester or indomethacin, excluding involvement of nitric oxide and prostaglandins. Treatment of animals with a single anti-inflammatory dose of AaL (1 mg/kg, i.v.) for 7 days did not affect rat corporal mass, liver, kidney, spleen or stomach wet weight, blood leukocyte count, and urea, creatinine or serum transaminase activity. Systemic toxicity was apparent only at much higher doses (LD50=88.3 mg/kg) than those required for the anti-inflammatory effect. Summarizing, AaL exerts anti-and pro-edematogenic actions via interaction with its specific lectin domain. These actions may share a common pathway involving either activation or inhibition of inflammatory mediators from resident mast cells.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the lectin from Dioclea rostrata Benth seeds.

Lectins from the Diocleinae subtribe (Leguminosae) are highly similar proteins that promote various biological activities with distinctly differing potencies. The structural basis for this experimental data is not yet fully understood. Dioclea rostrata lectin was purified and crystallized by hanging-drop vapour diffusion at 293 K. The crystal belongs to the orthorhombic space group I222, with unit-cell parameters a = 61.51, b = 88.22, c = 87.76 A. Assuming the presence of one monomer per asymmetric unit, the solvent content was estimated to be about 47.9%. A complete data set was collected at 1.87 A resolution.

Purification, partial characterization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a mannose-specific lectin from Cymbosema roseum seeds.

A lectin from Cymbosema roseum seeds (CRL) was purified, characterized and crystallized. The best crystals grew in a month and were obtained by the vapour-diffusion method using a precipitant solution consisting of 0.1 M Tris-HCl pH 7.8, 8%(w/v) PEG 3350 and 0.2 M proline at a constant temperature of 293 K. A data set was collected to 1.77 A resolution at a synchrotron-radiation source. CRL crystals are orthorhombic, belonging to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1). Crystallographic refinement and full amino-acid sequence determination are in progress.