Lectins as antimicrobial agents

Abstract

Summary The resistance of micro‐organisms to antimicrobial agents has been a challenge to treat animal and human infections, and for environmental control. Lectins are natural proteins and some are potent antimicrobials through binding to carbohydrates on microbial surfaces. Oligomerization state of lectins can influence their biological activity and maximum binding capacity; the association among lectin polypeptide chains can alter the carbohydrate–lectin binding dissociation rate constants. Antimicrobial mechanisms of lectins include the pore formation ability, followed by changes in the cell permeability and latter, indicates interactions with the bacterial cell wall components. In addition, the antifungal activity of lectins is associated with the chitin‐binding property, resulting in the disintegration of the cell wall or the arrest of de novo synthesis from the cell wall during fungal development or division. Quorum sensing is a cell‐to‐cell communication process that allows interspecies and interkingdom signalling which coordinate virulence genes; antiquorum‐sensing therapies are described for animal and plant lectins. This review article, among other approaches, evaluates lectins as antimicrobials.

130 years of Plant Lectin Research

“…For example, the lectin isolated from Helianthus annuus seeds inhibits the growth of different Candida species which can be accompanied by changes in the membrane permeability [ 128 ]. Lectins exert their antimicrobial activity at different levels such as blocking the entry, infection, adhesion, or migration of the bacteria and inhibition of microbial growth [ 129 – 131 ]. Many lectins can bind to cell wall components such as teichoic and teichuronic acids, or to peptidoglycans, lipopolysaccharides, muramic or N-acetylmuramic acids and muramyl dipeptides present in Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria.…”

MytiLec-1 Shows Glycan-Dependent Toxicity against Brine Shrimp Artemia and Induces Apoptotic Death of Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma Cells In Vivo

“…They are also responsible for various intracellular and intercellular cell signaling and signal transduction. These proteins are present in diverse organisms, implicated in many essential cellular and molecular recognition processes and play a number of physiological roles including immunomodulatory [2], antitumor [3,4], antifungal [5,6], antibacterial [7,8], and antiviral [9] activities.…”

In-vitro Antioxidant and Antibacterial Potential of Mannose/Glucose-binding Pterocarpus osun Craib. Seeds Lectin

“…Therefore, hydrolysis of POSL may ascribe more antioxidant potential to the peptides that will be generated. The antimicrobial roles of lectins as stated by Coelho et al [52] include blockade of invasion and infection, inhibition of growth and germination, regulation of microbial cell adhesion and migration. There is an increasing interest in investigation of the lectin's involvement in the interaction between eukaryotic cells and pathogens in infectious disease development and their antimicrobial potential [53].…”