2021, Vol. 9, Issue 6, Part A

author(s)
Fathima Rumaisa, Ratheesh Sadanandan and Arun A Rauf

abstract
Lectins are diverse class of proteins which have the ability to bind carbohydrates with considerable specificity and involved in many biological processes like host pathogen interactions, cell targeting, cell- cell communications, cancer metastasis and differentiation. Plants are rich sources of lectins that have great implications in medicinal and therapeutic applications. The antimicrobial property of a lectin isolated from Amaranthus cruentus Linn seeds has been explored in this study. ACL (Amaranthus cruentus Linn lectin) was isolated, purified and characterised by hemagglutination assay with human ABO blood groups and the molecular weight was determined by SDS PAGE. ACL was subjected to evaluation for inhibition of microbial growth by disc diffusion against human pathogenic Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains and some fungal strains. MIC and MBC were assessed. The effects of ACL on biofilm forming bacterial strains was assessed using crystal violet assay. The isolated and purified ACL have a molecular weight of 60 KDa. The Hemagglutination activity of ACL was inhibited by N-acetyl galactosamine. ACL exhibited both antibacterial and antifungal activities with considerable zones of inhibition. Biofilm mass reduction was observed in ACL treated bacteria. These findings indicate that ACL is having therapeutic applications with great importance in clinical microbiology.