Leguminosae Lectins as Biological Tools in Medical Research: a Review

Abstract Lectins were discovered first in plants and later in other living things, and nowadays it is known that they are present in almost all many life forms. These proteins can bind to specific carbohydrates, which make them perform a number of biological activities and can be used as tools in the study of glycoconjugate structures present on the cell surface, being effective in medical research. Plant lectins, leguminosae lectins particularly, are among the most studied plant proteins. They are very versatile molecules, which show several interesting biological properties. Thus, the present paper reviewed the advances about the leguminosae lectins biological properties studies in the last ten years, taking into account their possible applications in the fields of Clinical Microbiology, Pharmacy and Cancerology through a search in the electronic databases, providing opportunity to exchange information about the theme. Leguminosae lectins can neutralize pathogenic organisms, be they viruses, prokaryotes and eukaryotes, in addition carcinogenic cells, besides decreasing oxidative stress, conditions which increases the possibility of alternative substances for the design of new drugs to be used in current therapeutic, expanding the possibilities of diseases cure.

Nutritional value and antinutritional factors of foliaceous vegetable Talinum fruticosum

Talinum fruticosum Juss (L.) is an unconventional plant belonging to the family Portulacaceae; it is a herbaceous perennial plant that grows in tropical regions as a foliaceous vegetable. T.fruticosum leaves area source of fiber and minerals and they contribute to assemble the micronutrients for daily nutritional requirements. These plants supply the essential nutrients to the human organism; however, these plants contain antinutritinal factors such as lectins and tannins which may compromise their bioavailability. In the present study, the T. fruticosum leaves samples were investigated on proximate composition and anti nutritional factors. Samples were exposed to heat treatment for washing and for cooking for 10 min. These procedures neither signifcantly changed the carbohydrates and lipids contents, nor eliminated the hemagglutinating activity which is inactivated at 70 °C, although no effective reduction of tannin from the leaves was observed.