Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Phytohemagglutinin-induced diarrheal disease

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A purified plant lectin, phytohemagglutinin (PHA), or crude red kidney bean (RKB) from which it was derived, when incorporated as 1% of dietary protein into a purified casein protein diet caused weanling rats to fail to grow or lose weight in comparison to control animals pair fed an isonitrogenous, isocaloric diet. Feeding PHA was observed to cause diarrhea: fecal wet and dry weights were increased within 2 days after starting the diet. Increased fecal weight was caused by increased dry weight as well as by an increased fecal water content. On reversion to a normal casein diet, rapid amelioration of the antinutritional effects of PHA occurred with resumption of normal growth rate. Specific binding of PHA to the microvillus region of the small intestinal epithelium was demonstrated using rabbit anti-PHA and fluorescein-labeled goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin. PHA binding was observed after chronic intake in the diet or when applied to normal tissuein vitro. Loss of PHA binding to the intestine was observed to occur within 48 hr on reversion to a control casein diet. No significant morphological damage to the microvilli or the mucosal villus architecture was observed to accompany PHA adherence under these experimental conditions. Antinutritional and antiabsorptive effects of dietary PHA were associated with diarrhea. PHA adhered to the microvillus membrane of the small intestinal villus surface during the diarrheal state. After cessation of dietary PHA intake, weight gain and growth was accompanied by loss of PHA adherence to the small bowel mucosal surface. Adherence of PHA to the intestinal mucosal surface was an important cause of the nutritional and malabsorptive changes observed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Liener I: Significance for humans of biological active factors in soybeans and other food legumes. J Am Oil Chemists' Soc 56:121–129, 1979

    Google Scholar 

  2. Jaffe WG: Hemagglutinins.In Toxic Constituents of Plant Foodstuffs. IE Liener (ed). New York, Academic Press, 1981, pp 69–102

    Google Scholar 

  3. Freed DL, Buckley CH: Mucotractive effect of lectins. Lancet 1:585, 1978

    Google Scholar 

  4. Nachbar MS, Oppenheim JD: Lectins in the United States diet: A survey of lectins in commonly consumed foods and a review of the literature. Am J Clin Nutr 33:2338–2345, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  5. Evans RJ, Pusztai A, Watt WB, Bauer DH: Isolation and properties of protein fractions from navy beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) which inhibit growth in rats. Biochim Biophys Acta 303:175–184, 1973

    Google Scholar 

  6. Jayne-Williams DJ, Burgess CD: Further observations on the toxicity of navy beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) for Japanese quail (Conturna japonica). J Appl Bacteriol 37:149, 1974

    Google Scholar 

  7. Banwell JG, Boldt DH, Meyers J, Weber FL Jr: Phytohemagglutinin derived from red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris): A cause for intestinal malabsorption associated with bacterial overgrowth in the rat. Gastroenterology 84:506–515, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  8. Pusztai A, Clarke EMW, King TP: The nutritional toxicity ofPhaseolus vulgaris lectins. Proc Nutr Soc 38:115–120, 1979

    Google Scholar 

  9. Felsted RL, Leavitt RD, Bachur NR: Purification of the phytohemagglutinin family of proteins from red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) by affinity chromatography. Biochim Biophys Acta 405:72–81, 1975

    Google Scholar 

  10. Reisfeld RA, Lewis UJ, Williams DE: Disc electrophoresis of basic proteins and peptides on polyacrylamide gels. Nature 195:281–283, 1962

    Google Scholar 

  11. Leavitt RD, Felsted RL, Bachur NR: Biological and Biochemical properties ofPhaseolus vulgaris isolectins. J Biol Chem 252:2961–2966, 1977

    Google Scholar 

  12. Lepot A, Banwell JG: The Syrian hamster: A reproducible model for studying changes in intestinal fluid secretion in response to enterotoxin challenge. Infect Immun 14:1167–1171, 1976

    Google Scholar 

  13. Dobbins JW, Laurenson JP, Gorelick FS, Banwell JG: Effect of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) on ion transport in rabbit ileum. Gastroenterology 84:1138, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  14. Etzler ME: Lectins as probes in studies of intestinal glycoproteins and glycolipids. Am J Clin Nutr 32:133–138, 1979

    Google Scholar 

  15. Weiser MM, Douglas AP: An alternative mechanism for gluten toxicity in coeliac disease. Lancet 1:567, 1976

    Google Scholar 

  16. Boldt DH, Banwell JG, Howard R, Abramowsky CR, Dorsey SA: Interactions of red kidney bean phytohemagglutinin with rat intestinal brush border membranes. Clin Res 31:281A, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  17. Kornfeld R, Kornfeld S: The structure of a phytohemagglutinin receptor site from human erythrocytes. J Biol Chem 245:2536–2545, 1970

    Google Scholar 

  18. Hammarström S, Hammarström M-L, Sundblad G, Arnarp J, Lonngren J: Mitogenic leukoagglutinin fromPhaseolus vulgaris binds to a pentasaccharide inN-acetyllactosaminetype glycoprotein glycans. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 79:1611–1615, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  19. Lorenzsonn V, Olsen WA:in vivo responses of rat intestinal epithelium to intraluminal dietary lectins. Gastroenterology 82:838–848, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  20. King TP, Pusztai A, Clarke AW: Kidney bean (phaseolus vulgaris) lectin induced lesions in rat small intestine. J Comp Path 90:585–595, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  21. Li E, Kornfeld S: Effects of wheat germ agglutinin on membrane transport. Biochim Biophys Acta 469:202–210, 1977

    Google Scholar 

  22. Gibbons RJ, Dankers I: Lectin-like constituents of foods which react with components of serum, saliva andStreptococcus mutans. J Appl Environ Microbiol 41:880–888, 1981

    Google Scholar 

  23. Pistole TG: Interaction of bacteria and fungi with lectins and lectin-like substances. Annu Rev Microbiol 35:85–112, 1981

    Google Scholar 

  24. Challacombe DN, Richardson JM, Rowe B, Anderson CM: Bacterial microflora of the upper gastrointestinal tract in infants with protracted diarrhea. Arch Dis Child 49:270–277, 1974

    Google Scholar 

  25. Candy DCA: Adhesion of bacteria to mucosal surfaces—an area of increasing importance in diarrheal disease. Eur J Pediatr 134:3–8, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  26. Tompkins AM: Tropical malabsorption: Recent concepts in pathogenesis and nutritional significance. Clin Sci 60:131–137, 1981

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Abington Road, 44106, Cleveland, Ohio

    J. G. Banwell, C. R. Abramowsky, F. Weber, R. Howard & D. H. Boldt

  2. Institute of Pathology, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Abington Road, 44106, Cleveland, Ohio

    J. G. Banwell, C. R. Abramowsky, F. Weber, R. Howard & D. H. Boldt

  3. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio

    J. G. Banwell, C. R. Abramowsky, F. Weber, R. Howard & D. H. Boldt

  4. University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas

    J. G. Banwell, C. R. Abramowsky, F. Weber, R. Howard & D. H. Boldt

Authors
  1. J. G. Banwell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. R. Abramowsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. F. Weber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. R. Howard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. D. H. Boldt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This research was supported in part by grant AM 31093 from the National Institutes of Health.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Banwell, J.G., Abramowsky, C.R., Weber, F. et al. Phytohemagglutinin-induced diarrheal disease. Digest Dis Sci 29, 921–929 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01312481

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01312481

Keywords

Search

Navigation