title: The effects of β-glucans on dendritic cells and implications for cancer therapy.
abstract: β-Glucans are polysaccharides of β-D-glucose extracted from the cell walls of different species of mushrooms, yeast, oat, barley, seaweeds, algae and bacteria. Modern biomedical research has identified β-glucans as biological response modifiers (BRM) with anti-tumor properties that elicit potent immune responses through their recognition by a variety of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages and neutrophils. Complement receptor-3 (CR3), lactosylceramides, scavenger receptors and dectin-1 are involved in β-glucan recognition, triggering a series of signaling events that modulate innate and subsequently adaptive immune responses. β-Glucan binding to specific receptors in DCs and macrophages triggers their activation and maturation, increases their antigen-presentation ability and enhances the production of proinflammatory cytokines that stimulate the polarization of TH1 or TH17 responses, and induces the activation of antigen-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Moreover, large β-glucans can be degraded by macrophages into smaller moieties, when released, prime CR3 receptor on neutrophils and natural killer (NK) cells mediating CR3-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (CR3-DCC) of iC3b opsonized tumor cells. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of β- glucan-induced signaling in immune cells is essential for the design of new therapeutic strategies against cancer. Future studies should be done to translate β-glucan research to the clinic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
authors.forename: Sabrin H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Albeituni
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D047071:beta-Glucans