The objective was to study the cause of variation in digestibility of mixed linked β(1-3;1-4)-D-glucan (β-glucan) in the small intestine of growing pigs. The β-glucan is an important cell wall [dietary fiber (DF)] component of the endosperm of barley (Hordeum vulgare) and oats (Avena sativa). The digestibility of β-glucan in the small intestine from both cereals is among the highest of all DF c...

Neutrophils provide an innate immune response to tissues infected with fungal pathogens such as Candida albicans. This response is tightly regulated in part through the interaction of integrins with extracellular matrix ligands that are distributed within infected tissues. The β(2) integrin, CR3 (CD11b/CD18), is unique among integrins in containing a lectin-like domain that binds the fungal pat...

Forty weanling piglets (5.6±0.5 kg and 26 to 30 d of age) were used in a 28-d experiment to determine the effects of βglucan from Paenibacillus polymyxa and L-theanine on growth performance. Piglets were randomly allotted to four groups (n = 10, 2 animals per pen) provided with the basal feed (control), β-glucan 400 mg/kg feed, L-theanine 80 mg/kg feed or β-glucan plus l-theanine (combination o...

Highland barley is one of the hull-less barleys that contains high amounts of b-glucan. A detailed sequence analysis is needed to support the application of the b-glucan from highland barley. The bconformation and 1 / 3/1 / 4 linkages were confirmed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Monosaccharide analysis was accomplished with high-performance anion exchange chromatography (...

Leukocytes activated by endotoxin or enterotoxins release proinflammatory cytokines, thereby contributing to the cascade of events leading to septic shock. In the present studies, we analyzed the effects of in vivo administration of a soluble immunomodulator, beta-(1,6)-branched beta-(1,3)-glucan (soluble beta-glucan), on toxin-stimulated cytokine production in monocytes and lymphocytes isolate...

Macrophage-induced lung inflammation contributes substantially to respiratory failure during Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. We isolated a P. carinii cell wall fraction rich in glucan carbohydrate, which potently induces TNF-alpha and macrophage-inflammatory protein-2 generation from alveolar macrophages. Instillation of this purified P. carinii carbohydrate cell wall fraction into healthy rode...

Phagocytic macrophages and dendritic cells are desirable targets for potential RNAi (RNA interference) therapeutics because they often mediate pathogenic inflammation and autoimmune responses. We recently engineered a complex 5 component glucan-based encapsulation system for siRNA (small interfering RNA) delivery to phagocytes. In experiments designed to simplify this original formulation, we d...

The pharmacokinetics, biological effects and distribution in blood and organs of 125I-labeled (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan purified from Candida albicans were analyzed in rabbits during the 24-h period following an intravenous administration.The intravascular half-life of (1-->3)-beta- D-glucan was 1.8 min in the low-dose group (9.3 mug/kg) and 1.4 min in the high-dose group (222 mug/kg), and the mean...

Yeast and hyphal walls of Candida albicans were extracted with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Some of the extracted proteins reacted with a specific beta-1,6-glucan antiserum but not with a beta-1,3-glucan antiserum. They lost their beta-1,6-glucan epitope after treatment with ice-cold aqueous hydrofluoric acid, suggesting that beta-1,6-glucan was linked to the protein through a phosphodiester b...

β-Glucans are naturally occurring polysaccharides in cereal grains, mushrooms, algae, or microbes, including bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Immune cells recognize these β-glucans through a cell surface pathogen recognition receptor called Dectin-1. Studies using β-glucans and other Dectin-1 binding components have demonstrated the potential of these agents in activating the immune cells for cancer...