Shaping the Innate Immune Response by Dietary Glucans: Any Role in the Control of Cancer?

Abstract

β-glucans represent a heterogeneous group of naturally occurring and biologically active polysaccharides found in many kinds of edible mushrooms, baker’s yeast, cereals and seaweeds, whose health-promoting effects have been known since ancient times. These compounds can be taken orally as food supplements or as part of daily diets, and are safe to use, nonimmunogenic and well tolerated. A main feature of β-glucans is their capacity to function as biological response modifiers, exerting regulatory effects on inflammation and shaping the effector functions of different innate and adaptive immunity cell populations. The potential to interfere with processes involved in the development or control of cancer makes β-glucans interesting candidates as adjuvants in antitumor therapies as well as in cancer prevention strategies. Here, the regulatory effects of dietary β-glucans on human innate immunity cells are reviewed and their potential role in cancer control is discussed.

β-glucans: wide-spectrum immune-balancing food-supplement-based enteric (β-WIFE) vaccine adjuvant approach to COVID-19

“…β-Glucans are a heterogeneous group of polysaccharides abundant in the cell walls of yeasts, bacteria, and fungi that reportedly induce TRIM. β-Glucans induce epigenetic reprogramming in innate immune cells, leading to cellular activation, augmented cytokine production, and changes in metabolic function that shift cellular metabolism from oxidative phosphorylation to glucose fermentation mediated by the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) pathway, 12 thus effectively inducing TRIM. Epigenetic alterations such as histone methylation and acetylation lead to the positive regulation of gene expression.…”

“…Administering intraperitoneal β-glucans specifically expand Lin−Sca1+ cKit+ (LSKs) and multipotent myeloid progenitor 3 (MPP3)-expressing hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in the BM, and such trained HSCs generate a “central” memory. 12 , 13 Epigenetic modifications driven by β-glucans are rapidly activated by secondary infections or stimuli such as viruses and may serve as a potent strategy for vaccines against COVID-19. 8 β-Glucans act as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), because they are present in the cell wall of several pathogenic yeasts and bacteria and are involved in microorganism recognition and clearance by the human immune system.…”

The Growth of Yeast and Fungi, the Formation of β-Glucan, and the Antibacterial Activities during Soybean Fermentation in Producing Tempeh

“…cerevisiae cell wall is composed of β -(1,3)- and β -(1,6)-glucan, mannan, chitin (1-2%), and mannoproteins, comprising about 20-30% of the dry weight of the cell wall [ 11 ]. β -Glucan is a polysaccharide that has health benefits, for example, as a biological response modifier [ 12 ] and as an antibiotic against bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites [ 13 ].…”

Bioactiveβ -Glucans, Adjuvants in SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Therapy

“…Further, such combinations between ritonavir/lopinavir the direct-acting antivirals, and baricitinib could reduce these atypical inflammatory responses and infectivity [22]. Beta glucans also exert anti-inflammatory and anticancer effect by promoting the Th1 responses through the IL-12 production (which is a strong stimulator of IFN-γ ) and such interactions augment the production of chemokines by maturating the DCs [23,24]. Also, compared to other cocktails of cytokines used to maturate DCs, particulate yeast glucan activate a considerable number of human dendritic cells and could be a promising component for vaccines [19].…”