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Endocrine, Metabolic k ImmaneDisorders- Drag Targets, 2009, 9, 67-95. o Glucans as Biological Response Modifiers 'M, Novak" and V. Vetvicka®* “Unsttute of Chemical Technology, Prague, Czech Republic, “University of Louisville, Department of Pathology, Louis- ville, KY, USA Abstract: -D-glucans belong ta group of natura, physiologically active compounds, ganerlly called biological re- Sponse modifiers. Glucan represent highly conserved structural components of celtwalls in yeast, fungi, or seaweed. De- spite lng history of research, the exact mechanisms of placan action remain unsolved. The present review ss withthe istry of glucans. Next, the detailed information sbout te possible glucan Sources is followed by a deseription of the ‘nachanisms of ation. Physiological functions of glucan suggest the possible use of glucans not only ae non-specific im ‘munomodulator, but also a5 its possible future use as adr, Key Words: Ghucan, saccharides, immune system, macrophages, CR3, yeast. INTRODUCTION Natural products, useful in treating andor preventing various dsenses, have been sought through the history of tan, Most of these natural products are plagued with a common problem, ie. the fact that they offen represent a complex mixture of individual ingredients, each of which ‘can contribute 10 their biological activity. In a certain extent, itis also problem of f-plucans.The polysaccharides, usually termed “feglucans", and referred in this paper, are non- cellulosic polymers of Beglucose, with glycosidic bonds in ‘position B(1~»3) and with certain portion of B(1+6) bound ilucose molecules, They are isolated mostly from different fungi, but they are present also in other agurces, such as e&- reals, bacteria or seaweeds. These compounds isolated from different sources that otherwise caused similar or nearly identical immune reactions in macroorganisms, can differ in their primary, secondary or tertiary structures or their soli bility in water or alkalies ‘The most important quality of -glucans and the reason ‘why so much attention has been devoted to them are physio logical effects that they show. They are typical biological ‘response modifiers (BRM) with pronounced immunomadi- lating activity. Generally, imumomodulators can act both positively (immunostimulators) or negotively (immunes pressaais) [1]. A large number of polysaccharides, thot act ‘only as immunostimulants, is known (2), but the most effec ive (and also most studied) are B-glueans. More than 6,000 papers describing the biological activities of glucans exist. ‘Thus fr, strong. immurostimulating effects of B-glucans hhave been demonstrated in all tested animal species includ- ing earthworms [3,4], shrimp (5], fish [6], mice, rat [7], rabbits, guinea pigs (8), sheep, pigs (9), calle [10] and, lst ‘but not least, humans. HISTORY It is likely thatthe first investigated substance with im- ‘munomodulating properties was so called endotoxin - This coreapardcns a mor wt he Uaveniy of Louse, Depart of Pubaiagy, 11'S Flys, MOR Bhdg, km. 22, Lous, [RY a0702, USA; mat Vaclvveticka@iovivie edt 1971-51809 $55.00%.00 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Gram-negative microbes. A paper describing the endotoxin was published in 1865 [11] [LPS induced intensified phagocytosis with 2 potential pro- tective effect for a hast, however, it toxic effects dominated completely. It was found that a saccharidie moiety of LPS, with prevailing glucose, galactose and mannose content (12), is non-toxic but bears immunomodulting activity. It was apparent that even polysaccharides themselves could act as, irmmorseulators, while their toxicity was negligible ‘The history of polysaccharides 9s immunomodulaters ‘goes back to the middle ofthe last century, when Shear and coworkers [13] descrived a substance—-called Shea's poly- saccharide—which caused necrosis of tumors. Subsequenty, other pelysacchardie immanomoduletors ‘were researched; among them were B-glucans. Investization, of feglucens began in the 60s and 70s of the last century ‘Two lines can be traced in B-glucans history, basod on df- ferent starting points, but gradually converging. The frst one took pice chiefly inthe U'S.A, the second one in Asia, spe- cifically Japan. Research on B-giucas in the euro-emerican milieu was based on knowledge of immunomodulatory ef- ‘ects of zymosan [14], a mixture of polysaccharides isolated from the cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When 2y- rmosan was closely examined, Prghican was identified as a primary effective component: it was subsequently isolated and its immunological effets were investigated {es (15,16. In Japan they came to Beglucan differently. In A ‘medicine, consuming different medicinal mushrooms ( take, maitake, rest ete) bas a long tradition, In deta studies of biological effects ofthese mushrooms, expecially their anticancer action, Brglucans were again found 10 be a main cause of non-specific immunomodulation. This inital investigation was conducted by Goro Chihara at Teikyo University in Kawasaki, who isolated Brglucan, which he refered to lentnan, from mushroom shitake (Lentinus edo- des, now Lentinula edodes (17). The important quality of polysaccharidic immunomodu- Tators - B-glucans - is evidenced by the fact that all sui- clently purified ones distinguish themselves by very low © 2009 Bentham Scene Publier Lid. Material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) (68 Endocrine, Metabolic & fmmane Disorders- Drag Targets, 209, Vol. 9, No.1 toxicity (eg., mouse lentinan has LDyp > 1600 mg/kg; (18). Conversely, the considerable heterogeneity of all natural slucans continues to be the cause of series of mutually con- tradicting conclusions. An attempt was then made to solve this problem using semisynthetic and synthetic probes, suit- able for accurate immunological research [19} SOURCES OF B-GLUCAN sources of Brglucan, In adi cell walls, Brglucan is also iso- Inte ftom seaweed (laminaran from Laminaria sp, (20), bacteria (curdlan from Alealigenes faecalis) (21), oat and tarley. The composition of the cereal B-ghican is Somewhat Aitferent (it contains in adtion (14) bound glucose). ‘The fungal cell wall comprises an appreciable part of cell mass In yeasts it represents between 15 and 25 % of the total cell mass. Research on the cell wal of different fungal spe- cies did not lead to a straightforward model ofits structure, and concepts ofits organization underwent certain develop- ‘ment, According to Stratford (22) the yeast cell wall resem- bles reinforced conerete. An armature, representing about 35% of wall mass and formed by fibrils of alkali insoluble B- {lucan, is dipped into mannoproteins, bound to the armature through amorphous Brglucan and chitin. Simitar model of the fungal cell wall was published by Selitrennikoft [23]. Uni recently, biologically efficient Beglucans were sup- posed to have similar stractre—the main chain of B(I—>3) bound D-plucopyranose moities to which some D-ghico- pyranotes are randomly connected by B(1¥6) linkages (Fig, 1), The degree of branching (DB) of some Brglucans is pre- sented in Table 1. However, the detailed sircture of tlucens from dissimilar sources difes as well as their bio- Togical activity (19,24-27]. In native B-glucans, their fibrils are composed from organized pars in which the main chain is coiled to triple helix. The triple helix formed by three H- ‘bonds in C-2 postion and stabilized by’side chains, is mst likely present only in high-molecular Brghicans with molecu- lar weight over 90 kDa (28,29). Oa the contry, in isolates ‘of glucans this tiple-belical structure can by destroyed

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