Hemagglutinin from the Root Tuber of Dioscorea preussii Pax Exhibit Antioxidative Prowess and Haemolysis Inhibition

Objectives: In this research, Dioscorea preussii root tuber haemagglutinin was purified and its physicochemical properties determined. The antioxidative prowess and anti-haemolytic activities of the haemagglutinin were also investigated. Material and Methods: Hemagglutinating assay was used to detect the presence of lectin in the Phosphate Buffer Saline (PBS) extract of the D. preussii root tuber. The lectin was purified using ammonium sulphate fractionation and molecular sieve chromatography. Optimum pH and temperature were determined. So also, antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH radical scavenging, metal chelating, FRAP and lipid peroxidation inhibition assays. Red blood cells subjected to oxidative damage caused by H 2 O 2 was employed to evaluate its antihemolytic ability. Results: Starch inhibited the haemagglutinating activity of the hemagglutinin. Dioscorea preussii haemagglutinin (DPH) maintained full haemagglutinating activity from 30 ºC to 60 ºC and pH 5-13. EDTA had no effect on the haemagglutinating activity of the haemagglutinin. All the denaturing agents (Guanidine-HCl, Urea and β-Mercaptoethanol