Wheat germ agglutinin is a hevein class N-Acetylglucosamine–binding protein with specific toxicity and biomedical potential. It is extractable from wheat germ—a low-value byproduct of the wheat industry—using well–established extraction methods based on salt precipitation and affinity chromatography. Due to its N-Acetylglucosamine affinity, wheat germ agglutinin exhibits antifungal properties as well as cytotoxic properties. Its anticancer properties have been demonstrated for various cancer cells, and toxicity mechanisms are well described. Wheat germ agglutinin has been demonstrated as a viable solution for various biomedical and therapeutic applications, such as chemotherapy, targeted drug delivery, antibiotic-resistant bacteria monitoring and elimination. This is performed mostly in conjunction with nanoparticles, liposomes, and other carrier mechanisms via surface functionalization. Combined with abundant wheat byproduct sources, wheat germ agglutinin has the potential to improve the biomedical field considerably.

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小麦胚芽凝集素—从毒性到生物医学应用

小麦胚芽凝集素是一种具有特殊毒性和生物医学潜力的类维生素A N-乙酰氨基葡萄糖结合蛋白。它可以使用成熟的基于盐沉淀和亲和色谱的提取方法，从小麦胚芽（小麦行业的低价值副产品）中提取。由于其N-乙酰氨基葡糖亲和力，小麦胚芽凝集素显示出抗真菌特性以及细胞毒性特性。已经证明了其对各种癌细胞的抗癌特性，并且已经很好地描述了毒性机制。小麦胚芽凝集素已被证明是用于各种生物医学和治疗应用的可行解决方案，例如化学疗法，靶向药物递送，抗药性细菌的监测和消除。这主要是通过表面功能化结合纳米颗粒，脂质体和其他载体机制进行的。小麦胚芽凝集素结合丰富的小麦副产物来源，具有极大改善生物医学领域的潜力。