Document Detail


Cratylia argentea seed lectin, a possible defensive protein against plant-eating organisms: effects on rat metabolism and gut histology.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  15350671     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
This present work was undertaken to answer two basic questions (a) is C. argentea lectin part of the general defensive strategy of the plant against predation by animals? (b) if so, how does it act on them? To achieve these goals the lectin from C. argentea seeds was purified to homogeneity and included at a 2% level in a diet containing 10% total protein and given to growing rats for 10 days. In vivo it was noted that the lectin from C. argentea is resistant to gut proteolysis, binds to the cells lining the small intestine and induces enlargement in the small intestine, caecum and colon, kidneys and pancreas compared to control rats exposed to the egg-white diet (EW). As the diet containing the purified C. argentea lectin has the same basic composition and protein content of EW diet, the small intestine, kidney and pancreas enlargements are clearly lectin-specific effects. Moreover the animals exposed to the lectin-containing diet presented a significant reduction in the growth rate and lower values of digestibility, NPU and biological value compared to animals fed on a control lectin-free diet. Thus the data from this present study and the report that the C. argentea lectin has insecticidal activity upon Callosobruchus maculatus larvae which attacks cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seeds reinforce the hypothesis that lectins take part in the mechanisms against herbivory.
Authors:
J T A Oliveira; F J B Rios; I M Vasconcelos; F V A Ferreira; G B A Nojosa; D A Medeiros
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association     Volume:  42     ISSN:  0278-6915     ISO Abbreviation:  Food Chem. Toxicol.     Publication Date:  2004 Nov 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2004-09-07     Completed Date:  2004-10-21     Revised Date:  2006-11-15    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8207483     Medline TA:  Food Chem Toxicol     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1737-47     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Ceará, P.O. Box 6020, Campus do Pici, 60451-970 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. jtaolive@ufc.br
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Biological Assay
Digestion / drug effects
Digestive System / drug effects*,  pathology
Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
Fabaceae / chemistry*
Feces / chemistry
Hemagglutination / drug effects
Immunohistochemistry
Insects / drug effects*,  growth & development
Larva / drug effects,  growth & development
Male
Organ Size / drug effects
Plant Lectins / administration & dosage,  chemistry,  isolation & purification,  pharmacology*
Random Allocation
Rats
Rats, Wistar / growth & development*
Seeds / chemistry
Weight Gain / drug effects
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Plant Lectins

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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