The Complexity of Fungal β-Glucan in Health and Disease: Effects on the Mononuclear Phagocyte System

This review describes the complex interactions between fungal beta-glucans and monocytes, macrophages, and other innate immune cells. It discusses beta-glucan as both a fungal cell-wall signal during infection and a proposed biological-response modifier. The authors emphasize that immune responses vary with cell type, receptor, source, purity, size, and biochemical composition, and that studies using crude extracts can be difficult to interpret. The review does not show that beta-glucan automatically adapts to an individual's immune status or establish clinical benefit for an Aureobasidium product.