ScienceAsia 21 (1995): 027-036 |doi: 10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.1995.21.027

STUDIES ON LECTINS FROM THAI PLANTS

SOPIT WONGKHAM,^a PATCHAREE BOONSIRI,^a CHUSRI TRISONTHI,^b SONTHAYA SIMASATHIANSOPHON,^c CHAISIRI WONGKHAM^a AND KANIT ATISOOK^d

ABSTRACT: Plant samples (seeds, pods and fruits) of 178 species in 62 families were examined for lectin activity. Hemagglutination activity was performed with 8 different sources of red blood cells: human (types A, B and O), hamster, mouse, rat, goose and pigeon. Plant lectins were arbitrarily differentiated into 6 groups according to their hemagglutination patterns. Lectins of 107 plant samples were found, of which 19 samples were divalent ion dependent lectins. No blood type specific lectin was found in this study, except lectin of Butea monosperma seed which showed specificity toward erythrocytes of human but not those of animal origins. The potent lectins which possess more than 100,000 units per gram wet weight were found in seeds of Artocarpus lakoocha and Heliciopsis terminalis and also in fruit extracts of Coffea arabica and Chrysophyllum cainito.

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a Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Khan Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
b Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200. Thailand.
c Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
d Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700. Thailand.

Received November 27, 1994