[Study of the biological properties of isolectin from Arum maculatum]

The delipidized water-saline extract of roots from Arum maculatum contains lectin-phytospermoagglutinins (PSA), which consist of two forms, isolectins--PSA1 and PSA2. The capability of these isolectins to agglutinate spermatozoa and erythrocytes and to precipitate serum of a frog, a rabbit and man was studied. It was established that PSA1 interacted with a receptor specific for human spermatozoa, but PSA2--with a receptor probably common for human and rabbit spermatozoa. But this mean that these isolectins could be used for isolation of spermatozoa antigens, which have no blood group specificity and are not found in human biological fluids.