Purification of a lectin from Eugenia uniflora L. seeds and its potential antibacterial activity.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this work was to analyse the antimicrobial properties of a purified lectin from Eugenia uniflora L. seeds.


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 microg ml(-1), and moderately inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus sp. and Escherichia coli with a MIC of 16.5 microg ml(-1).


CONCLUSIONS
EuniSL was found to be effective against bacteria.


CONCLUSIONS
The strong antibacterial activity of the studied lectin indicates a high potential for clinical microbiology and therapeutic applications.
Oliveira
M D L
MD
Departamento de Bioquímica - Laboratório de Glicoproteínas, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Andrade
C A S
CA
Santos-Magalhães
N S
NS
Coelho
L C B B
LC
Teixeira
J A
JA
Carneiro-da-Cunha
M G
MG
Correia
M T S
MT
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D006384:Hemagglutination; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry*; D027842:Syzygium / Q000737:chemistry*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D037102:Lectins