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Viruses Jan 2022() is a higher fungi or mushroom which is now known by its accepted scientific names as (L.) Lloyd. Many studies have shown that β-glucans from have various...
() is a higher fungi or mushroom which is now known by its accepted scientific names as (L.) Lloyd. Many studies have shown that β-glucans from have various physiological activities, including activating macrophages to protect against infection. However, whether β-glucans have antiviral effects has not been reported. Hence, the objective of this study was to confirm whether β-glucans could boost the immune response to combat influenza virus in mouse and chick models. The results show that β-glucans induced the expression of , costimulatory molecules (/) and cytokines , , and in murine bone marrow dendritic cells (BMDCs). In addition, orally administered β-glucans reduced weight loss, mortality and viral titers in the lungs of mice infected with influenza virus and attenuated pathological lung damage caused by the virus in the mice. Orally administered β-glucans improved survival and reduced lung viral titers in chickens infected with H9N2 avian influenza virus. These results suggest that β-glucans have a significant antiviral effect. Therefore, β-glucans could become a potential immunomodulator against influenza virus.
Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; B7-1 Antigen; B7-2 Antigen; Chickens; Cytokines; Dendritic Cells; Female; Gene Expression; Immunologic Factors; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype; Influenza in Birds; Lectins, C-Type; Lung; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Orthomyxoviridae Infections; Polyporaceae; beta-Glucans
PubMed: 35215831
DOI: 10.3390/v14020237 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2018Immunotherapy is revolutionizing cancer treatment. Recent clinical success with immune checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, and adoptive... (Review)
Review
Immunotherapy is revolutionizing cancer treatment. Recent clinical success with immune checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, and adoptive immune cellular therapies has generated excitement and new hopes for patients and investigators. However, clinically efficacious responses to cancer immunotherapy occur only in a minority of patients. One reason is the tumor microenvironment (TME), which potently inhibits the generation and delivery of optimal antitumor immune responses. As our understanding of TME continues to grow, strategies are being developed to change the TME toward one that augments the emergence of strong antitumor immunity. These strategies include eliminating tumor bulk to provoke the release of tumor antigens, using adjuvants to enhance antigen-presenting cell function, and employ agents that enhance immune cell effector activity. This article reviews the development of β-glucan and β-glucan-based nanoparticles as immune modulators of TME, as well as their potential benefit and future therapeutic applications. Cell-wall β-glucans from natural sources including plant, fungi, and bacteria are molecules that adopt pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) known to target specific receptors on immune cell subsets. Emerging data suggest that the TME can be actively manipulated by β-glucans and their related nanoparticles. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of conditioning TME using β-glucan and β-glucan-based nanoparticles, and how this strategy enables future design of optimal combination cancer immunotherapies.
Topics: Animals; Antigens, Neoplasm; Humans; Immunologic Factors; Immunotherapy; Nanoparticles; Neoplasms; Tumor Microenvironment; beta-Glucans
PubMed: 29535722
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00341 -
Journal of Innate Immunity 2023Epigenetic reprogramming of innate immune cells by β-glucan in a process called trained immunity leads to an enhanced host response to a secondary infection. β-Glucans...
Epigenetic reprogramming of innate immune cells by β-glucan in a process called trained immunity leads to an enhanced host response to a secondary infection. β-Glucans are structural components of plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria and thus recognized as non-self by human macrophages. We selected the β-glucan curdlan from Alcaligenes faecalis, WGP dispersible from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and β-glucan-rich culture supernatant of Alternaria and investigated whether they could produce trained immunity effects leading to an increased control of virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We observed a significant M. tuberculosis growth reduction in macrophages trained with curdlan and Alternaria, which also correlated with increased IL-6 and IL-1β release. WGP dispersible-trained macrophages were stratified into "non-responders" and "responders," according to their ability to control M. tuberculosis, with "responders" producing higher IL-6 levels. The addition of neutrophils to infected macrophage cultures further enhanced macrophage control of virulent M. tuberculosis, but not in a stimuli-dependent manner. Pathway enrichment analysis of DNA methylome data also highlighted hypomethylation of genes in pathways associated with signaling and cellular reorganization and motility, and "responders" to WGP training were enriched in the interferon-gamma signaling pathway. This study adds evidence that certain β-glucans show promise as immune-training agents.
Topics: Humans; Pilot Projects; Interleukin-6; Macrophages; beta-Glucans; Immunity, Innate; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Tuberculosis
PubMed: 37734337
DOI: 10.1159/000533873 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2020Administration of β-glucans through various routes, including immersion, dietary inclusion, or injection, have been found to stimulate various facets of immune... (Review)
Review
Administration of β-glucans through various routes, including immersion, dietary inclusion, or injection, have been found to stimulate various facets of immune responses, such as resistance to infections and resistance to environmental stress. β-Glucans used as an immunomodulatory food supplement have been found beneficial in eliciting immunity in commercial aquaculture. Despite extensive research involving more than 3000 published studies, knowledge of the receptors involved in recognition of β-glucans, their downstream signaling, and overall mechanisms of action is still lacking. The aim of this review is to summarize and discuss what is currently known about of the use of β-glucans in fish.
Topics: Animals; Aquaculture; Diet; Fishes; Immunity, Innate; Immunologic Factors; beta-Glucans
PubMed: 33213001
DOI: 10.3390/molecules25225378 -
Journal of Dairy Science Oct 2022Studies have shown that β-glucans extracted from the cell wall of cereals, algae, and yeasts have been associated with improved immune function. However, it is unknown...
Studies have shown that β-glucans extracted from the cell wall of cereals, algae, and yeasts have been associated with improved immune function. However, it is unknown whether algae β-glucan supplementation affects the performance, blood metabolites, or cell counts of immune cells in dairy calves. The objective of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate whether supplementation of β-glucans to milk replacer in dairy calves fed 6 L/d improved growth performance and fecal status and altered the blood metabolite profile. In this trial, we enrolled Holstein calves (n = 34) at birth (body weight 36.38 ± 1.33 kg; mean ± standard deviation) to receive, from 1 d of age, either 2 g/d algae β-glucans mixed into 6 L/d of milk replacer (22.4% crude protein and 16.2% fat) or an unsupplemented milk replacer (control). The calves were blocked in pairs according to birth weight, sex, and date of birth (up to 5 d difference). Calves were housed individually, and calf starter (24.7% crude protein and 13.9% neutral detergent fiber) was offered ad libitum based on orts of the previous day until 56 d of age (end of the trial). Body weight was measured weekly, and health checks and daily fecal consistency were evaluated daily in every calf by the same observer. Calves with 2 consecutive days of loose feces that sifted through bedding were considered diarrhea positive. We used a linear mixed effects model to evaluate the effects of β-glucan supplementation fed during the preweaning period on performance (average daily gain), final weight, feed efficiency (FE), white blood cell count, and selected blood metabolites, repeated by time. A generalized linear mixed effects model was also run to evaluate the likelihood of a diarrhea bout in the first 28 d of life, controlling for the calf as the subject with a logistic distribution. We included age, serum total protein at 48 h, and birth weight as covariates. At 56 d, β-glucan-supplemented calves weighed more than control calves (56.3 vs. 51.5 kg). Treatment had no effect on total starter intake, but there was a treatment by age interaction for FE, with greater FE for β-glucan-supplemented calves in wk 3 and 5 of age. There was only a tendency for average daily gain to be greater in supplemented calves than in control calves for the duration of the study. Furthermore, control calves had 14.66 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 9.87-21.77] times greater odds of having a diarrheal bout than β-glucan-supplemented calves. Control calves had 12.70 (95% CI: 8.82-18.28) times greater odds of having an additional day with an abnormal fecal score compared with β-glucan-supplemented calves, suggesting that supplementation ameliorated diarrhea severity. We found no association of treatment with concentrations of serum total protein, albumin, creatinine, or glucose during the preweaning period. Our findings suggest that dietary supplementation of 2 g/d of algae β-glucans to milk replacer improved fecal status and may affect growth, as evidenced by a higher weaning weight, compared with control calves. Future studies should explore the effect of algae β-glucans on lower-gut physiology and digestibility in dairy calves.
Topics: Albumins; Animal Feed; Animals; Birth Weight; Body Weight; Cattle; Creatinine; Detergents; Diarrhea; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Glucose; Milk; Weaning; beta-Glucans
PubMed: 36055849
DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-21838 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2018β-glucan, the most abundant fungal cell wall polysaccharide, has gained much attention from the scientific community in the last few decades for its fascinating but not... (Review)
Review
β-glucan, the most abundant fungal cell wall polysaccharide, has gained much attention from the scientific community in the last few decades for its fascinating but not yet fully understood immunobiology. Study of this molecule has been motivated by its importance as a pathogen-associated molecular pattern upon fungal infection as well as by its promising clinical utility as biological response modifier for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Its immune effect is attributed to the ability to bind to different receptors expressed on the cell surface of phagocytic and cytotoxic innate immune cells, including monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer cells. The characteristics of the immune responses generated depend on the cell types and receptors involved. Size and biochemical composition of β-glucans isolated from different sources affect their immunomodulatory properties. The variety of studies using crude extracts of fungal cell wall rather than purified β-glucans renders data difficult to interpret. A better understanding of the mechanisms of purified fungal β-glucan recognition, downstream signaling pathways, and subsequent immune regulation activated, is, therefore, essential not only to develop new antifungal therapy but also to evaluate β-glucan as a putative anti-infective and antitumor mediator. Here, we briefly review the complexity of interactions between fungal β-glucans and mononuclear phagocytes during fungal infections. Furthermore, we discuss and present available studies suggesting how different fungal β-glucans exhibit antitumor and antimicrobial activities by modulating the biologic responses of mononuclear phagocytes, which make them potential candidates as therapeutic agents.
Topics: Animals; Disease; Fungal Polysaccharides; Humans; Mononuclear Phagocyte System; beta-Glucans
PubMed: 29755450
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00673 -
Food Chemistry Jul 2014Barley is rarely used in the food industry, even though it is a main source of β-glucans, which have important health benefits and a technological role in food. This...
Barley is rarely used in the food industry, even though it is a main source of β-glucans, which have important health benefits and a technological role in food. This work evaluated the humid extraction of barley β-glucans and partially characterized them. The extraction was studied using surface response methodology with both temperature and pH as variables. The extracted β-glucans were characterized by chemical and rheological analysis, infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The effect on extraction of linear and quadratic terms of pH and temperature corresponding to the regression model was significant, and we obtained a maximum concentration of 53.4% at pH 7.56 and temperature 45.5°C, with protein and mainly starch contamination. The extracted β-glucans presented a higher apparent viscosity than the commercial ones, the behavior of the commercial and extracted samples can be described as Newtonian and pseudoplastic, respectively. The results of infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were characteristic of commercial β-glucans, indicating that this method is efficient for extracting β-glucans.
Topics: Chemical Fractionation; Hordeum; Plant Extracts; Rheology; Temperature; Viscosity; beta-Glucans
PubMed: 24518319
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.12.104 -
Gut Microbes Nov 2020glucans are the dietary nutrients present in oats, barley, algae, and mushrooms. The macromolecules are well known for their immune-modulatory activity; however, how the...
glucans are the dietary nutrients present in oats, barley, algae, and mushrooms. The macromolecules are well known for their immune-modulatory activity; however, how the human gut bacteria digest them is vaguely understood. In this study, JCM 13288 was found to grow on laminarin, pustulan, and porphyran. We sequenced the genome of the strain, which was about 5.05 megabase pairs and contained 4868 protein-coding genes. On the basis of growth patterns of the bacterium, two putative polysaccharide utilization loci for glucans were identified from the genome, and associated four putative genes were cloned, expressed, purified, and characterized. Three glycoside hydrolases (GHs) that were endo-acting enzymes (GH16, GH30, and GH158), and one which was an exo-acting (GH3) enzyme. The GH3, GH16, and GH158 can cleave linear exo/endo- 1-3 linkages while GH30 can digest endo- 1-6 linkages. GH30 and GH158 were further explored for their roles in digesting glucans and generation of oligosaccharides, respectively. The GH30 predominately found to cleave long chain 1-6 linked glucans, and obtained final product was gentiobiose. The GH158 used for producing oligosaccharides varying from degree of polymerization 2 to 7 from soluble curdlan. We demonstrated that these oligosaccharides can be utilized by gut bacteria, which either did not grow or poorly grew on laminarin. Thus, JCM 13288 is not only capable of utilizing glucans but also shares these glycans with human gut bacteria for potentially maintaining the gut microbial homeostasis.
Topics: Bacteroides; Carbohydrate Conformation; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Genetic Loci; Genome, Bacterial; Glycoside Hydrolases; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Microbial Interactions; Oligosaccharides; Polysaccharides; beta-Glucans
PubMed: 33043794
DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2020.1826761 -
International Journal of Biological... Dec 2023The critical role of oral colon-specific delivery systems (OCDDS) is important for delivering active agents to the colon and rectum specifically via the oral route. The... (Review)
Review
The critical role of oral colon-specific delivery systems (OCDDS) is important for delivering active agents to the colon and rectum specifically via the oral route. The use of micro/nanostructured OCDDS further improves drug stability, bioavailability, and retention time, leading to enhanced therapeutic effects. However, designing micro/nanoscale OCDDSs is challenging due to pH changes, enzymatic degradation, and systemic absorption and metabolism. Biodegradable natural polysaccharides are a promising solution to these problems, and β-glucan is one of the most promising natural polysaccharides due to its unique structural features, conformational flexibility, and specific processing properties. This review covers the diverse chemical structures of β-glucan, its benefits (biocompatibility, easy modification, and colon-specific degradation), and various β-glucan-based micro/nanosized OCDDSs, as well as their drawbacks. The potential of β-glucan offers exciting new opportunities for colon-specific drug delivery.
Topics: beta-Glucans; Colon; Drug Delivery Systems; Administration, Oral; Polysaccharides
PubMed: 37827417
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127360 -
Plant Physiology Dec 2023Recent breakthroughs in structural biology have provided valuable new insights into enzymes involved in plant cell wall metabolism. More specifically, the molecular...
Recent breakthroughs in structural biology have provided valuable new insights into enzymes involved in plant cell wall metabolism. More specifically, the molecular mechanism of synthesis of (1,3;1,4)-β-glucans, which are widespread in cell walls of commercially important cereals and grasses, has been the topic of debate and intense research activity for decades. However, an inability to purify these integral membrane enzymes or apply transgenic approaches without interpretative problems associated with pleiotropic effects has presented barriers to attempts to define their synthetic mechanisms. Following the demonstration that some members of the CslF sub-family of GT2 family enzymes mediate (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan synthesis, the expression of the corresponding genes in a heterologous system that is free of background complications has now been achieved. Biochemical analyses of the (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan synthesized in vitro, combined with 3-dimensional (3D) cryogenic-electron microscopy and AlphaFold protein structure predictions, have demonstrated how a single CslF6 enzyme, without exogenous primers, can incorporate both (1,3)- and (1,4)-β-linkages into the nascent polysaccharide chain. Similarly, 3D structures of xyloglucan endo-transglycosylases and (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan endo- and exohydrolases have allowed the mechanisms of (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan modification and degradation to be defined. X-ray crystallography and multi-scale modeling of a broad specificity GH3 β-glucan exohydrolase recently revealed a previously unknown and remarkable molecular mechanism with reactant trajectories through which a polysaccharide exohydrolase can act with a processive action pattern. The availability of high-quality protein 3D structural predictions should prove invaluable for defining structures, dynamics, and functions of other enzymes involved in plant cell wall metabolism in the immediate future.
Topics: beta-Glucans; Hydrolysis; Poaceae; Polysaccharides; Cell Wall
PubMed: 37594400
DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad415