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Beta-Glucans

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Immune Response with Beta Glucan - YouTube

Immune Response with Beta Glucan

Beta-Glucan - A Super Supplement powerful immune-boosting supplement helps the body increase healing - YouTube

β glucan attenuates cognitive impairment via the gut brain axis in mice
How Beta Glucan Binds to Fat
Effect of β-glucan from oats and barley on weight loss and adiposity
Secrets About Beta Glucan No One Tells You

β-glucans are a heterogeneous group of natural polysaccharides, consisting of D-glucose monomers linked by a β-glycosidic bond. They are important structural elements of the cell wall or serve as energy storage in bacteria, fungi including yeast, algae, and plants, while they are absent in vertebrate and invertebrate tissue.

A well-functioning immune system is crucial for staying healthy. Therefore, the potential of natural substances to strengthen the immune system has long been the subject of investigation. There are many synthetic and natural preparations claiming to be immunomodulators. Probably the best known herbal preparations that exhibit effects on the immune system are preparations made from Echinacea, Viscum (mistletoe), and Pelargonium. There is, however, another very interesting and, by now, properly investigated class of immunomodulators - the β-glucans.

There is good evidence of immune stimulation for beta-glucans – polysaccharides from the cell walls of certain fungus species. Glucans structurally resemble components of pathogens, which is why they activate our immune cells (including those in the gut lymphatic system) without causing harm. More than 6000 publications investigating the immune-modulating effects of β-glucans, such as anti-inflammatory or antimicrobial abilities, have been published. Health effects were found not only in humans but also in invertebrates, rodents, fishes as well as farm animals such as cows or pigs. Numerous studies reported other health benefits of β-glucans, including hepatoprotective, wound healing, weight loss, antidiabetic and cholesterol lowering functions.

Oriental healers have known for hundreds of years that something inside yeast and mushrooms has the ability to dramatically enhance your immune system. Scientists have now identified that something as a long chain of polysaccharides called Beta glucans. In fact, the real discovery came when scientists discovered which particular kinds of glucans (Beta 1,3 and 1,6) provide most of the benefits. Not all β-glucans are able to modulate immune functions. These properties mainly depend on the primary chemical structure of the β-glucans. Cellulose for example, a (1,4)- β-linked glucan, does not exhibit immune-modulatory effects. In contrast, β-glucans derived from fungi and yeast, which consist of a (1,3)- β-linked backbone with small numbers of (1,6)-β-linked side chains, are essentially known for their immune-modulating effects. See Beta 1, 3-Glucans and Beta 1,6 Glucans for the immune active form.

Apart from differences in the type of linkage and branching, β-glucans can also vary in solubility, molecular mass, tertiary structure, degree of branching, polymer charge and solution conformation (triple or single helix or random coil). All these characteristics may influence their immune modulating effects. On the other hand, the manufacturing process and, hence, the isolation method impacts the structure of β-glucans and consequentially their effects on the immune system. Indeed, the immune-modulating activity of different β-glucans from the same source might differ considerably in level of purity, solubility, molecular mass, tertiary structure, degree of branching, polymer charge and solution conformation.

Since the 1940's, researchers have investigated the nutritional benefits of Beta glucans. Derived from the broken cell walls of yeast and from mushrooms, barley and oats. Beta glucans are capable of reducing unhealthy amounts of serum cholesterol and boosting the immune system. (Note: Beta glucan is the only glucan found effective in preventing coronary heart disease by significantly lowering LDL blood cholesterol and increasing HDL (good) cholesterol levels. In fact, the FDA has approved Beta glucan supplementation for preventing coronary heart disease.) b-Glucan has been isolated from some mushrooms as shiitake (Lentinus edodes), maitake (Grifola frondosa), schizophylan (Schizophillum commune), and SSG (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum). b-Glucan extracts from Lentinus edodes and Schizophillum commune are used in traditional medicine for cancer treatment in Japan since 1980.

As just mentioned, Beta glucans are a powerful immune stimulator, activating the macrophages in the immune system. Keep in mind that your macrophages are your immune system's first line of defense against viral, fungal, bacterial, and parasitic infections. In addition, macrophages play a major role in recognizing and eliminating aberrant (cancerous) cells from the body. These substances increase host immune defense by activating complement system, enhancing macrophages and natural killer cell function.

There have been over 1,000 research papers on Beta glucans since the 1960's. Research backed by prestigious institutions such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Harvard, Tulane, Baylor, McGill, University of California, Duke, Washington, the Armed Forces Radiology Research Institute, and other institutions all demonstrate the high immune activating properties and cholesterol lowering properties of Beta glucans.

Bioavailability & Mechanism

As humans cannot metabolize the β-glycosidic bonds from β-glucans, it has long been suspected that the bacterial fermentation process taking place within the intestinal system is involved in the health promoting effect of β-glucans. Meanwhile, different possible mechanisms have been identified on how oral β-glucans modulate the immune system.

In general, humans cannot synthesize β-glucans. Therefore, the immune system recognizes these compounds as foreign. The innate immune system responds to invading pathogens through pattern recognition receptors (PRR), which are typically expressed by immune cells but also by other cells. PRRs recognize conserved microbial structures, the so-called microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), formally called PAMPs. β-glucans are considered as one of the major MAMPs for the PRR-mediated sensing of fungal infection. So far, the most important PRRs for β-glucans are the dectin-1 receptor, the complement receptor 3 (CR3) and toll-like-receptors (TLR), which are found on various immune cells such as monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, and natural killer cells, but also on intestinal epithelial cells. Binding of β-glucans to dectin-1 induced a cascade of innate and adaptive immune response such as phagocytosis, oxidative burst, and the production of cytokines and chemokines in dentritic cells and macrophages. Kankkunen et al. showed that particulate yeast β-glucan triggered interleukin-1β (IL-1β) mediated cellular response in human primary macrophages via dectin-1 signaling. Earlier in vitro studies showed that yeast β-glucan is a strong stimulant of macrophages and induced mitogenic activity in rat thymocytes, indicating immunostimulatory effects.

The exact mechanism on how β-glucans affect immune function depends in part on the route of administration. Strong effects were already observed in studies in the early 1990s using intravenously injected yeast β-glucans. In terms of oral administration, the impact on immune function is assumed to be primarily explained by the interaction of β-glucans with pinocytic microfold (M)-cells located in the small intestine [24]. It has been suggested that M-cells take up β-glucans and transport them from the intestinal lumen to the immune cells located within the Peyer’s patches.

Orally administered β-glucans induced phagocytic activity, oxidative bursts, and IL-1 production of peritoneal macrophages in mice. A higher phagocytic activity and oxidative metabolism of neutrophils and monocytes, indicating an immune restoring activity of yeast β-glucan has also been shown in rats. However, not only the cellular but also the humoral acute phase immune reaction is affected by yeast β-glucan feeding as shown by increased lysozyme and ceruloplasmin activity.

Oral delivery of β-glucans impact mucosal immunity, as shown by an increase of intraepithelial lymphocytes in the intestine of mice. In rats, the absorption of soluble β-glucans translocated from the gastrointestinal tract into the systemic circulation leads to an increased immune response and resistance against infectious challenge. The effect of an insoluble β-glucan against anthrax infection in mice showed that the treated animals survived the anthrax infection, while 50% of the control animals died, indicating an improved immune function in animals fed with β-glucan.

Another important aspect to be considered is the solubility of β-glucans, as soluble and particulate (insoluble) β-glucans isolated from yeast may stimulate the immune system via different pathway. Results show that different β-glucan particles influence the immune system via different pathways. Insoluble β-glucans are able to activate both the innate and the adaptive immune responses, whereas soluble β-glucans are most effective via the complement system, which needs specific antibodies.

Effects

Beta glucans have been clinically proven to enhance macrophage production dramatically, and to increase nonspecific host resistance to a variety of bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections, including:

In addition, "The broad spectrum of immunopharmacological activities of glucan includes not only the modification of certain bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections, but also inhibition of tumor growth." Nicholas DiLuzio, Ph.D., Department of Physiology Tulane University School of Medicine. Which leads us to…

The right fiber may help you lose weight

New research suggests that consuming foods rich in beta-glucan, a type of fiber found in oats and barley, can reduce body weight and obesity.

Cancer and AIDS

It is important to understand that although there are a number of animal studies and cell studies (and a great deal of anecdotal evidence) available that indicate that “super saccharides” may play a significant role in protecting against cancer and AIDS; there are NO significant, valid human studies that prove this to be so at this time.

Articles/Studies

Anti-Inflammatory

An insight into anti-inflammatory effects of fungal beta-glucans

Antioxidant

In Vitro Antioxidant Activity Profiles of -Glucans Isolated from Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Mutant Saccharomyces cerevisiae IS2

Cancer

Cardiovascular

Chronic Kidney Disease

Beta-glucans in advanced CKD: role in endotoxaemia and inflammation

Diabetes

Gastrointestinal Effects

Immune System Effects

Metabolic Syndrome

Prebiotic

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