Biological activity of most relevant β-glucans investigated in pre-clinical studies
| Pre-clinical study (ref.) | Treatment models | β-glucans/fungus | Biological activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sorimachi K, et al., [64]Niu YC, et al., [65] | Animal model (rat bone marrow)Animal model (mouse S180 cells), IV administration | Glucan/Agaricus blazei Murill | - ↑ secretion of IL-8 and TNF-α by macrophages- ↑ production of IL-23, IL-12, IL-1- ↑ cytokine and leukocyte growth factor production |
| Kubala L, et al., [66]Zhong K, et al., [67] | Human modelMice splenic Lymphocytes | Schizophyllan/Schizophyllum commune | - ↑ lymphocytes proliferation, through production of IL-2- ↑ production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha |
| Yang A, et al., [68] | Murine macrophagesHuman hepatoma HepG2 cells | TPG-1/Trametes robiniophila | - ↑ production of TNF-α and IL-6 through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) |
| Wang J, et al., [69]Wang SY, et al., [70]Chien CM, et al., [71] | Animal model, in vitro, Raw 264.7 cellsHuman myeloid leukemia cell linesHuman umbilical cord blood | Proteoglycan fraction/Ganoderma lucidum | - ↑ anti-inflammation activity against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation- ↑ T cells activity- ↑ expression of IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α and INF-γ- modulate NK cell cytotoxicity |
| Carmona EM, et al., [72]Ali MF, et al., [73] | Rat cellsHuman model | Glucan/Pneumocystis and Aspergillus | - ↑ TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 production by B-lymphocytes- ↑ IL-23 and IL-6 release by dendritic cells- ↑ secretion of IL-17 and IL-22, both Th17-produced cytokines |
| Kankkunen P, et al., [52]Ding J, et al., [74]Vetvicka V, et al., [47] | Human macrophagesHuman monocyte-derived DCsMurine melanoma B16 cell line | Glucan/Saccharomyces cerevisiae | - ↑ Th2 immune response and inhibits Th1 by promoting the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF-β)- ↑ IL-1β transcription and secretion- ↑ IL12, IL-2, TNF, IFN production- ↑ tumor-specific CTL activity- modulate NK cells activity and killing towards tumor cells |
| Ina K, et al., [75] | Human model (gastric cancer patients), IV administration | Lentinan/Lentinula edodes | - ↑ PD-L1 tumor expression- ↑ release of TNF-α, IL-12 and IFN-γ- ↑ T cells activity, especially CD8+ cells and Th1 polarization |
| Masuda Y, et al., [76]Masuda Y, et al., [77] | Animal modelAnimal model | Maitake α-glucan (YM-2A)/Grifola frondosa | - ↑ activation of dendritic cells and macrophages- ↑ IFN-γ production by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells |
| Bose N, et al., [78] | Human serum | Imprime PGG/Saccharomyces cerevisiae | - ↑ phenotypic and functional activation of monocytes- ↑ activation of neutrophils, through production of IL-8, CCL2, and CD11b |
VC, NR and FT contributed to literature research and article’s selection. VC, NR, FT and FM wrote the manuscript and generated the figures and tables. FM and RB contributed to the revisions of the manuscript. All authors approved the published version of the manuscript.
All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
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© The Author(s) 2021.