Nofima Mat, Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research, Aas, Norway.
Mol Nutr Food Res. 2012 Apr;56(4):536-47. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201100723.
β-glucans are known for their immune-modulating properties. However, the heterogeneity of these glucose polymers makes a distinction between the different sources and structures necessary-a fact that has been little allowed for in the literature. We have focused on β-glucans from cereals as they are already used as functional food ingredients due to their established cholesterol lowering effect. Cereal β-glucans have shown in vitro activity on cytokine secretion, phagocytic activity and cytotoxicity of isolated immune cells, and activation of the complement system. Animal studies suggest a possible protective effect against an intestinal parasite, against bacterial infection, and a synergistic effect in antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Animal studies have shown activity of orally applied cereal β-glucans indicating uptake or interaction with cells of the gastrointestinal tract. However, uptake is still debated, interaction with intestinal epithelial cells has been suggested but not clarified, and mechanisms of action remain largely unknown. So far, cereal β-glucans have not shown immune modulation in the few conducted human studies and further studies are needed to clarify their effect.
β-葡聚糖以其免疫调节特性而闻名。然而，这些葡萄糖聚合物的异质性使得有必要区分不同的来源和结构——这一事实在文献中很少得到体现。我们专注于谷物中的β-葡聚糖，因为由于其已确立的降低胆固醇作用，它们已被用作功能性食品成分。体外研究表明，谷物β-葡聚糖对细胞因子分泌、吞噬活性和细胞毒性、补体系统的激活具有活性。动物研究表明，它可能对肠道寄生虫、细菌感染具有保护作用，并具有抗体依赖性细胞毒性的协同作用。动物研究表明，口服应用的谷物β-葡聚糖具有活性，表明其被胃肠道细胞摄取或与胃肠道细胞相互作用。然而，摄取仍存在争议，与肠上皮细胞的相互作用已被提出但尚未阐明，作用机制在很大程度上仍然未知。到目前为止，在少数进行的人体研究中，谷物β-葡聚糖并未显示出免疫调节作用，需要进一步研究以阐明其作用。
