Lectin in agglutination and its role in detection of sugars on the surface of RBC of normal and cancer patients

In the present studies the property of Lectins as agglutinin and to bind sugars in the blood on normal and cancer cervix patients has been studied. Out of 36 lectins extracted from the seeds of various plants, 25 were non-specific haemagglutinins and 11 were non-reactive with the RBC of normal persons. The titre value greatly varied from 1∶4 to 1∶4096. The titre value of RBC of patients of carcinoma cervix (Stage III) was compared with the normal person’s RBC. Out of 25 non-specific haemagglutinins 16 lectins did not show any difference in titre value. Nine lectins agglutinated RBC of cancer patient at a higher dilution than the normal. On the contrary, 3 lectins agglutinated the cancerous patient’s RBC at a higher concentration than the normal (Control). Sugar specificity of 25 non-specific haemagglutinins was tested with 13 sugars separately. Haemagglutination Inhibition (HI) reaction showed marked difference in the RBC of normal and in carcinoma cervix patient. Four marked reactions were noticed. RBC of normal (N) and carcinoma patient (C) with positive HI reaction (C₊/N₊), with negative HI reaction (C_?/N_?); with C positive and N negative HI reaction (C₊/N_?) and with C negative and N positive HI reaction (C_?/N₊). Three lectins were specific to sugar moieties.Vicia faba JV II showed dissimilarity with fructose and glucose moiety and also indicated that cellulose is common in both RBC of normal and cancer cervix patient.Triticum vulgare lectin showed the difference in cellulose moiety.Linum usitatissimum lectin showed the difference in lactose moiety and indicated that melibiose is present in both. It was also observed that mannose gave positive HI reaction with lectins ofR. communis, L. esculentus, P. sativum, P. sativum Pusa 10,P. sativum R?1,D. lablab, A. indica, H. vulgare andZ. mays in the blood of cancer cervix patient suggesting that mannose perhaps is present in the RBC while it may not be present in the normal person’s RBC. Raffinose also gave the positive HI reaction with cancer patient’s blood and not with the normal person’s blood.