Lectins as reagents for the differentiation of serum enzymes. Lectins as reagents, I. (author's transl)

Lectins from Canavalia ensiformis, Phaseolus vulgaris, and Triticum vulgare react with arylamidase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltransferase, and cholinesterase of human sera by formation of enzymatically active, mostly insoluble complexes. Arylamidase, alkaline phosphatase, and cholinesterase react more intensely in sera of healthy people than in sera of patients with liver and neoplastic diseases. Arylesterase is bound to a distinct degree only by concanavalin A. The enzymes mentioned above also react slightly with the following lectins in order of decreasing intensity: Ricinus communis, Arachis hypogaea, Helix pomatia, Glycine max, Dolichos biflorus, and Ulex europaeus. Though multiple forms containing less sialic acid are favourably bound, preincubation with neuraminidase does not improve the reaction except with soybean lectin. Since higher concentrations of lectins react also with fast moving fractions of high sialic acid content, no steric hindrance of the binding between lectins and sialoenzymes is supposed, as concluded from determination of the total enzyme activity.