• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.592-598
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• 2000

A lectin (agglutinin, VCA) from Korean mistletoe (Viscum album L. coloratum) was isolated by affinity chromatograpy on a asialofetuin-Sepharose 4B. The molecular weights of A- and B-chains of VCA were different from those of VAAS. The VCA recognized the antibody of VAAs in the Western blot analysis and ELLA system. We also investigated the synergistic effects of the components in mistletoe by dividing the extract into different molecular weight fractions.

• BMB Reports
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.6-11
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• 1995

A new lectin, named TRA, was purified from Trichosanthes kirilowii root by acid-treated Sepharose 6B, Mono-Q, and TSK-gel 3000SW column sequential chromatography. The lectin appeared homogeneous by native gel electrophoresis at pH 4.3 and gave two protein bands of Mr=31 and 28 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of the polypeptides of TRA have not been reported in amino acid sequences of the lectins. TRA lectin formed a precipitate with asialofetuin, neuraminidase-treated fetuin. A sugar inhibition assay indicated that N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, among the monosaccharides tested, was the most potent inhibitor of TRA-induced hemagglutination. Asialofetuin showed a 260-times stronger inhibitory activity than N-acetyl-D-galactosamine. TRA lectin also showed agglutination with normal leukocytes and lymphoma cells, but not with premature hemopoietic cells. These results suggest that TRA is a novel plant lectin.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.155-161
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• 1992

Although glycosylated liposomes have attracted much attention as targeting delivery systems (DDS) of drugs to specific organs which have glycoside receptors, physical instability of liposomes greatly limits their practical application. In this case, proliposomes might be a potential answer to solve this problem. Utilizing the proliposomes as tageting DDS has been a goal of our series of works; we have tried to develop DDS which form liposomes uppon adding water and can deliver drugs to specific target organs/cells such as hepatocytes. In this paper, preparation of glycosylated liposomes and binding of the liposomes with lectin (agglutinin RCA 120) was studied. Asialoletuin (AF) was selected as a model compound which has galactose terminal and is favorable for binding with galactose receptor on the surface of hepatocytes. AF was obtained by splitting the terminal N-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) of fetuin. Small unilamellar AF-liposomes were prepared by mixing aqueous solution of AF-palmitate with thin film of phosphatidyl choline and cholesterol (30:10 w/w) formed on the innersurface of the round bottomed flask. They were successively extruded through polycarbonate membranes (0.45 mm). Palmitoyl-AF not incorporated into the liposomal bilayer was separated from liposomes by a Sepharose 4B column equilibrated with 10 mM Tris-HCI buffered saline. Lectin (agglutinin RCA 120) was added to the suspension of AF-liposomes and incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 2 hr. After centrifugation, the unbound lectin in the supernatant was assayed for protein. The binding of the lectin to AF-liposomes (AF content 2.8 nmole) at $37^{\circ}C$ was linear at least upto 35 mg of lectin indicating high affinity association of the lectin to AF molecules of the liposomes.