Immunomodulatory Effects of Beta-glucans

Abstract

Beta-glucans are structural components of the cell walls of bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae, yeasts and fungi, and even in abundance are also found in cereal grains. The primary source of beta glucans for immunomodulatory studies and for therapeutic applications are more or less traditional, given partly by their greater availability. In Europe and the US are zymosan of yeast used in baking and brewing, France glucans from seaweed, in Canada and Brazil glucans from cereals, Japan, China and Russia are all kinds of mushrooms (shiitake, maitake, reishi). Several clinical studies have indicated the possibility of using beta glucans in the preventin of infectious complications in high risk surgery. The modern history of the use of polysaccharides as immunomodulators began at the beginning of the 40s of the last century by the application of Shears' polysaccharide. Interest waned for a while and appeared again until about twenty years later, in connection with a beneficial effect of the crude extract of yeast cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the activation of the complement system. Research on the biomodulation properties of beta glucans was initially focused on infectious immunity and on anti-tumor immunity later on. After successfully demonstrating their positive impact on this component of immunity, already in the mid-eighties in Japan were two types of beta glucans, lentinan and schizophyllan allowed for supportive treatment of certain types of malignant neoplasms. At the same time unprecedentedly increased worldwide interest in biomedical research on the further possibility of using beta glucans for the prevention and supportive treatment of many infectious and chronic non-communicable diseases. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2017.