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Purification of a lectin from Eugenia uniflora L. seeds and its potential antibacterial activity
Author(s) -
Oliveira M.D.L.,
Andrade C.A.S.,
SantosMagalhães N.S.,
Coelho L.C.B.B.,
Teixeira J.A.,
CarneirodaCunha M.G.,
Correia M.T.S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2007.02319.x
Subject(s) - lectin , molecular mass , antimicrobial , bacillus subtilis , biology , antibacterial activity , microbiology and biotechnology , staphylococcus aureus , biochemistry , bacteria , hemagglutination , escherichia coli , minimum inhibitory concentration , pseudomonas aeruginosa , divalent , chemistry , genetics , antigen , gene , enzyme , organic chemistry
Aims: The aim of this work was to analyse the antimicrobial properties of a purified lectin from Eugenia uniflora L. seeds. Methods and Results: The E. uniflora lectin (EuniSL) was isolated from the seed extract and purified by ion‐exchange chromatography in DEAE‐Sephadex with a purification factor of 11·68. The purified lectin showed a single band on denaturing electrophoresis, with a molecular mass of 67 kDa. EuniSL agglutinated rabbit and human erythrocytes with a higher specificity for rabbit erythrocytes. The haemagglutination was not inhibited by the tested carbohydrates but glycoproteins exerted a strong inhibitory action. The lectin proved to be thermo resistant with the highest stability at pH 6·5 and divalent ions did not affect its activity. EuniSL demonstrated a remarkable nonselective antibacterial activity. EuniSL strongly inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella sp. with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1·5 μg ml −1 , and moderately inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus sp. and Escherichia coli with a MIC of 16·5 μg ml −1 . Conclusions: EuniSL was found to be effective against bacteria. Significance and Impact of the Study: The strong antibacterial activity of the studied lectin indicates a high potential for clinical microbiology and therapeutic applications.