Lectins and the intestine.

Lectins are being used increasingly for the study of carbohydrate structures in the small and large intestine. These substances are particularly useful for characterization of normal and abnormal intestinal mucus, but they are also important probes for investigation of epithelial surface changes associated with differentiation and maturation. Lectins are contained in significant amounts in a great variety of products ingested in the human diet. This, and the demonstration of their harmful effects on intestinal epithelium in rodents, indicate a need for investigation of potential adverse actions of lectins on human intestine.