Role of lectins in clinical settings

Lectins are a diverse class of proteins derived from either plants, microbial or animal sources and may be soluble or membrane bound. It is a tetramer made up of four nearly identical subunits. In humans, lectins have been reported to cause digestive distress, carbohydrate, and other disorders. This review intends to put forward basic foundation in carbohydrate structure and function, lectin biology and the implications of glycobiology in human health and disease, particularly in cancer therapeutics. These topics are among the hundreds included in the field of glycobiology and form the cornerstone of glycobiology.