RESUMO
With important carbohydrate binding properties, lectins are proteins able to decipher the glycocode, and as such, they can be used in bioassays involving cell-cell communication, protein targeting, inflammation, and hypernociception, among others. In this study, a new glucose/mannose-specific lectin from Canavalia villosa seeds (Cvill) was isolated by a single affinity chromatography step in a Sephadex® G-50 column, with a purification yield of 19.35mg of lectin per gram of powdered seed. Analysis of intact protein by mass spectrometry showed the lectin is composed of three polypeptide chains, including a 25.6kDa α chain, 12.9KDa ß, and 12.6 KDa γ fragments, similar to the profile of ConA-like glucose/mannose-specific lectins. Partial sequence of the protein was obtained by MS-MALDI TOF/TOF covering 41.7% of its primary structure. Cvill presented sugar specificity to d-glucose, α-methyl-d-mannoside, d-mannose, and glycoproteins fetuin and ovoalbumin. The lectin characterization showed that Cvill presents high stability within a broad range of pH and temperature, also showing average toxicity against Artemia nauplii. The proinflammatory effect of Cvill was observed by induction of paw edema and hypernociception in mice, with the participation of the carbohydrate binding site, showing its potential to be used as tool in inflammation studies.
Assuntos
Analgésicos/farmacologia , Canavalia/química , Glucose/metabolismo , Lectinas de Ligação a Manose/farmacologia , Manose/metabolismo , Lectinas de Plantas/farmacologia , Sementes/química , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Analgésicos/química , Analgésicos/metabolismo , Analgésicos/uso terapêutico , Animais , Artemia/efeitos dos fármacos , Edema/tratamento farmacológico , Concentração de Íons de Hidrogênio , Inflamação/tratamento farmacológico , Masculino , Lectinas de Ligação a Manose/química , Lectinas de Ligação a Manose/metabolismo , Lectinas de Ligação a Manose/uso terapêutico , Camundongos , Lectinas de Plantas/química , Lectinas de Plantas/metabolismo , Lectinas de Plantas/uso terapêutico , TemperaturaRESUMO
The immunomodulatory properties of mannose-binding lectins ConBr (Canavalia brasiliensis) and CFL (Cratylia argentea) were investigated comparatively in a model of Salmonella infection. The lectins were intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered to mice daily for three days before the bacterial challenge with Salmonella enterica Ser. Typhimurium (0.2 mL i.p.; 10(7) CFU/mL). In vivo assays have shown that both lectins induced a significant leukocyte infiltration into the peritoneal cavity of uninfected mice, which was higher in the CFL group 3 days post-infection. Total and differential cell counts in the bloodstreams have shown uninfected animals pretreated with ConBr and CFL exhibited accentuated lymphopenia. Conversely, there was an increasing population of lymphocytes following 3 days post-infection in mice pretreated with both lectins. In addition, the bacterial burden was significantly reduced into the peritoneal cavity, bloodstreams, spleen and the liver in these mice. The lectins did not induce the release of pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines into the peritoneal fluid of uninfected animals. However, following infection, the release of TNF-α and IL-10 in the peritoneal fluid were down-regulated in mice pretreated with both lectins whereas IL-1 was only reduced in mice pretreated with ConBr. Uninfected animals pretreated with CFL exhibited high nitric oxide (NO) content in the peritoneal fluid, which was decreased after infection in comparison to ConBr group. The lectins did not alter the serum levels of NO in uninfected mice but treatments with ConBr significantly reduced the NO content in infected animals in comparison to CFL group 24h after the bacterial challenge. Survival experiments have shown survival rates ranging from 70% to 100% in mice that received CFL or ConBr. On the other hand, untreated mice (PBS group) died 1-6 days after infection. We conclude that ConBr and CFL are prospective phytotherapeutics capable of modulate the cascade of pro-inflammatory plus regulatory cytokines and nitric oxide release derived from systemic infections.