Clinical impacts of Artocarpus lakoocha agglutinin-binding glycans for prognosis and treatment of cholangiocarcinoma.

Artocarpus lakoocha agglutinin (ALA), which specifically targets the Gal/GalNAc components of complex glycans, was isolated from the seeds of Artocarpus lakoocha. This study is the first to explore the role of ALA in identifying aberrant glycans, designated ALA-binding glycans (ALAG), and its implications in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). ALA-histochemistry was used to evaluate ALAG expression in liver fluke-induced CCA tissues from hamsters (n = 60).

Role of Wisteria floribunda agglutinin binding glycans in carcinogenesis and metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma.

Aberrant glycosylation is an important factor in facilitating tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. In this study, using Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA), we examined the expression of WFA-binding glycans (WFAG) in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). The results showed that WFAG was highly detected in precancerous and cancerous lesions of human CCA tissues, although it was rarely detected in normal bile ducts.