Acacia constricta VL lectin inhibits growth of breast cancer cell lines

Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins with carbohydrate-binding capacity. The objective of this research was to evaluate the antiproliferative activity of Acacia constricta (VL) lectin on MDA-MB-231 and T47D breast cancer cell lines. In this work, the recognition of VL lectin (fluorescein-labeled) towards cell receptors was evaluated by confocal microscopy. The antiproliferative activity and induction of apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry. The increase of reactive oxygen species was evaluated by flow cytometry using H2-DCF-DA (dichlorofluorescein diacetate). VL lectin reduced cell proliferation by up to 50% in MDA-MB-231 and T47D cell lines; it was determined that the VL lectin induced apoptosis in both MDA-MB-231 and T47D cells independent of the activation of reactive oxygen species. Confocal microscopy analysis demonstrated that VL can recognize receptors present on the cell surface in both cell lines. The VL lectin can be considered within the class of molecules with potential as an antitumor agent.