Sugar inhibition of the lectin jacalin: comparison of three assays

1. Three assays were used to test nine sugars for inhibition of jacalin activity prepared from Artocarpus integrifolia. Rat spleen proliferation was unsuitable since the measurement of the effects of sugars against jacalin binding was complicated by their simultaneous metabolic effects on the cells. 2. Based partly on a sheep red blood cell hemagglutination assay and mainly on human serum protein precipitation, the following potencies in relation to D(+)-galactose (taken as 1) were obtained: 1-0-methyl-alpha-D-galactopyranoside, 40; methyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside and D(+)-galactose, 1; 1-0-methyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside, 0.4; 1-0-methyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside, 0.2; D(+)-mannose, 0.12; beta-D-(-)-fructose, 0.08; alpha-D(+)-glucose and 1-0-methyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, less than 0.04.