The effect of a lectin from the venom of the snake, Bothrops jararacussu, on tumor cell proliferation.

Lectins have been used extensively as histochemical probes to describe changes in tumor cell surface and are known to influence the growth of cancer cells. In this study, we determined the effect of a lectin from the venom of Bothrops jararacussu (BJcuL) on the proliferation of a number of established human cancer cell lines. The growth of eight cancer cell lines was inhibited in a dose-related manner in the presence of BJcuL lectin. This lectin was most potent as an inhibitor of growth in renal (Caki-1 and A-498) and pancreatic (CFPAC-1) cancer cell lines with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 1-2 mM. Melanoma (Wm115) and prostate (PC-3) cancer cells showed IC50 values of 7.9 and 8.5 mM, respectively, in the presence of BjcuL lectin whereas colon (Caco-2) and breast (MCF7) cancer cell lines showed no effect. Our results suggest that BJcuL lectin is an effective inhibitor of cell growth in some cancer cell lines.