Beta-glucans (β-glucans), naturally occurring polysaccharides, are present as constituents of the cell wall of cereal grains, mushrooms, algae, or microbes including bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Since Pillemer et al. first prepared and investigated zymosan in the 1940s and others followed with the investigation of β-glucans in the 1960s and 1970s, researchers have well established the significan...

Non-cellulosic beta-glucans are now recognized as potent immunological activators, and some are used clinically in China and Japan. These beta-glucans consist of a backbone of glucose residues linked by beta-(1-->3)-glycosidic bonds, often with attached side-chain glucose residues joined by beta-(1-->6) linkages. The frequency of branching varies. The literature suggests beta-glucans are effect...

beta-Glucans are naturally occurring polysaccharides that are the major cell wall components of fungi. Recognition of beta-glucans is mediated through a membrane-bound pattern recognition receptor called dectin-1, and gene knock-out studies have shown that dectin-1 plays an important role in antifungal immune response in vivo. In this report, we have studied the effect of large particulate (1,3...

We prepared self-standing chemically cross-linked hydrogels from 1,3-?-d-glucan (Mw = 2.0 × 105) and 1,3-?-d-glucans (low-molecular-weight (LMW): Mw 105, high-molecular-weight (HMW): 1.0 106), using ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDGE) as a cross-linker. Uniaxial compressive tests cylindrical of the glucans were conducted. Both LMW-1,3-?-d-glucan highly deformable shape-deformable; they cou...

Stimulatory effects of yeast beta-1,3-1,6-glucans on neutrophils have long been recognized, but effects of glucans on degranulation of primary granules in fish neutrophils have not been previously reported. Neutrophil function was monitored during in vitro and in vivo application of glucans to non- (NS), acute- (AS) and chronically stressed (CS) fish. beta-Glucan proved to be a strong and quick...

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of oral ingestion of β-glucans isolated from Saccharomyces cereviseae on the metabolic profile, expression of gingival inflammatory markers and amount of alveolar bone loss in diabetic rats with periodontal disease. Diabetes mellitus was induced in 48 Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (80 mg/kg). After confirming the...

β-glucans belong to a group of biologically active natural compounds called biological response modifiers. These substances represent highly conserved structural components of cell walls in fungi, yeast, grain and seaweed. Despite almost 160 years of intensive research, the exact mechanisms of their action remain unsolved. The significant role of glucans in cancer treatment, infection immunity,...

Glucans are cell wall constituents of fungi and bacteria that bind to pattern recognition receptors and modulate innate immunity, in part, by macrophage activation. We used surface plasmon resonance to examine the binding of glucans, differing in fine structure and charge density, to scavenger receptors on membranes isolated from human monocyte U937 cells. Experiments were performed at 25°C usi...

BACKGROUND Fungal β-(1,3)-glucans are pro-inflammatory agents, and exposures to β-(1,3)-glucans are associated with respiratory tract symptoms. IgG anti-(1,3)-glucan titers are measured in diagnosis of fungal infections. Although other β-glucan structures exist, like β-(1,6)-glucans, little is known about their antigenic or pro-inflammatory properties. We aimed to investigate IgG titers and spe...

Mouse leukocyte CR3 (Mac-1, aMb2 integrin) was shown to function as a receptor for b-glucans in the same way as human CR3. Soluble zymosan polysaccharide (SZP) or pure b-glucans labeled with FITC or I bound in a saturable and reversible manner to neutrophils, macrophages, and NK cells. This lectin activity was blocked by anti-CD11b mAb M1/70 or 5C6 and did not occur with leukocytes from CR3 (CD...