Screening of Caatinga plants as sources of lectins and trypsin inhibitors

Abstract

Although it is one of the most threatened areas in the Earth, there are few studies on the biotechnological potential of the Caatinga. This work evaluated 36 extracts from 27 Caatinga plants for lectin and trypsin inhibitor activities. The presence of lectin was detected in 77.7% of samples by haemagglutinating assay. The highest values of specific haemagglutinating activity were found in extracts of leaves from Mimosa lewesii, Bauhinia acuruana and Manilkara rufula and in branches from Myracrodruon urundeuva. Trypsin inhibitor activity was detected in 63.9% of the tested extracts, strong inhibitory effect (>70%) being found in 11 samples. This work demonstrates that Caatinga is a potential source of bioactive plant proteins that can be isolated and studied for several applications. The biochemical prospecting of Caatinga is essential for collection of bioactive principles so as to add conservation value to the region.

Keywords::

• biochemical prospecting
• Caatinga
• lectin
• plant proteins
• protease inhibitor

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for research grants and fellowship (PMGP, MTSC and MGCC) as well as by the Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE), the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).