Preliminary observations on leukaemia specific agglutinins from seeds

Semipurified saline extracts of seeds from Crotolaria juncea, Cassia marginata, Ficus racemosa, Cicer arietinum (L-532), Gossipium indicum (G-27), Melia composita, Acacia lenticularis, Meletia ovalifolia, Acacia catechu and Peltophorum ferrenginium were tested for leukoagglutinating activity against whole leukocytes and mononuclear cells from patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (34), acute myeloblastic leukaemia (5), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (7), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (3), various lymphoproliferative/haematologic disorders (54), and normal healthy subjects (50). In addition, bone marrow cells from three patients undergoing diagnostic bone marrow aspiration and activated lymphocytes from mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC) were also tested. All the seed extracts agglutinated white blood cells from patients with different types of leukaemia. But none of them reacted with peripheral blood cells of normal individuals, patients with various lymphoproliferative/haematologic disorders or cells from MLC. Leukoagglutination of leukaemic cells with each of the seed extracts was inhibited by simple sugars. Only in one instance, cells from bone marrow of an individual who had undergone diagnostic bone marrow aspiration for a non-malignant condition were agglutinated. It is felt that purification of these seed extracts may yield leukaemia-specific lectins.