Antiproliferative and Antimicrobial Potentials of a Lectin from Aplysia kurodai (Sea Hare) Eggs

Abstract

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in lectins from marine invertebrates. In this study, the biological activities of a lectin protein isolated from the eggs of Sea hare (Aplysia kurodai) were evaluated. The 40 kDa Aplysia kurodai egg lectin (or AKL-40) binds to D-galacturonic acid and D-galactose sugars similar to previously purified isotypes with various molecular weights (32/30 and 16 kDa). The N-terminal sequence of AKL-40 was similar to other sea hare egg lectins. The lectin was shown to be moderately toxic to brine shrimp nauplii, with an LC50 value of 63.63 µg/mL. It agglutinated Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells and reduced their growth, up to 58.3% in vivo when injected into Swiss albino mice at a rate of 2 mg/kg/day. The morphology of these cells apparently changed due to AKL-40, while the expression of apoptosis-related genes (p53, Bax, and Bcl-XL) suggested a possible apoptotic pathway of cell death. AKL-40 also inhibited the growth of human erythroleukemia cells, probably via activating the MAPK/ERK pathway, but did not affect human B-lymphoma cells (Raji) or rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-1). In vitro, lectin suppressed the growth of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and U937 cells by 37.9% and 31.8%, respectively. Along with strong antifungal activity against Talaromyces verruculosus, AKL showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella sonnei, and Bacillus cereus whereas the growth of Escherichia coli was not affected by the lectin. This study explores the antiproliferative and antimicrobial potentials of AKL as well as its involvement in embryo defense of sea hare.

Antibacterial Properties and Cytotoxicity of Geodorum Densiflorum Rhizome Lectin: A Promising Solution to Combat Antibiotic Resistance

“…Moringa oleifera seed lectin (LC50 is 131 µg/ml) (Asaduzzaman et al, 2018), Amaranthus gangeticus seed lectin (LC50 is 250 μg/ml) (Hasan et al, 2021) and Snake Gourd Seed Lectin (LC50 is 261±29 μg/ml) (Kabir et al, 2012). Similar low toxic effect was also found in the case of MytiLec-1 (LC50 is 384.53 µg/mL) when compared to GDL (Hasan et al, 2019).…”

Antibacterial activity of sea hare (Dolabella auricularia) egg string extracts against potentially pathogenic bacteria

“…Several studies revealed the presence of an antibacterial factor in sea hare egg strings. According to Swarna et al (2021), the egg mass of the sea hare includes agglutinin, which could agglutinate the marine bacteria. The agglutinins found in the egg mass play an important function in the egg mass as a defense mechanism once it has been laid out.…”

“…They contain a biologically active material to serve as a barrier between them and the environment. Studies show they have a lectin that can agglutinate marine microorganisms (Cheung et al 2015;Filho et al 2015;Hasan and Ozeki 2019;Swarna et al 2021).…”

Partial Characterization of Lectins Purified from the Surco and Vara (Furrow and Rod) Varieties of Black Phaseolus vulgaris

“…This research interest is also motivated by their important biological functions as their anticarcinogenic, antifungal, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and immunomodulatory properties [ 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ] make them suitable candidates for cancer therapy and transplantation and other potential applications [ 10 , 11 ].…”