Combined β-glucan with anti-tumor mAb therapy has demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in murine tumor models. The current study was designed to compare the therapeutic efficacy of various sources of β-glucans. Our studies demonstrated that yeast β-glucan, in combination with anti-tumor mAb, resulted in significantly smaller tumor burdens and achieved enhanced long-term survival compared to mAb alone or β-glucan extracts from mushrooms. Further studies indicated that yeast β-glucan particle was superior to mushroom extracts in inducing cytokine secretion, particularly IL-12 production in dendritic cells (DCs). In addition, results showed that cytokine production was markedly decreased in MyD88-deficient macrophages and DCs but not in complement receptor 3 (CR3)-deficient mice. Our data suggest that yeast β-glucan demonstrates much stronger adjuvant activity compared to mushroom β-glucan extracts in tumor therapy. This effect of yeast β-glucan may be in part ascribed to the cytokine secretion by DCs and macrophages and bioavailability of active β-glucan moiety.
References
https://doi.org/10.4161/cbt.8.3.7337
This 2009 comprehensive review examined the immunomodulatory effects of β-glucans and their potential applications in oncology and infectious disease management.
β-glucans demonstrate broad immunostimulatory effects across multiple immune cell types, enhancing innate immune responses while modulating adaptive immunity. Clinical and preclinical evidence supports their use as biological response modifiers in cancer, with particular evidence for combination effects with conventional therapies. The review highlighted structure-activity relationships critical for therapeutic efficacy.
This systematic review provides comprehensive evidence for the therapeutic rationale behind beta glucan supplementation. The findings directly support continued research into Aureobasidium pullulans-derived β-1,3/1,6-glucan as an immunomodulatory agent.
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Driscoll, Michael; Hansen, Richard; Ding, Chuanlin; Cramer, Daniel E.; Yan, Jun. Therapeutic potential of various β-glucan sources in conjunction with anti-tumor monoclonal antibody in cancer therapy. Cancer Biology & Therapy. 2009. DOI: 10.4161/cbt.8.3.7337.
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