Department of Food and Nutrition, Yuhan College, Bucheon 422-749, Korea.
Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 2013 Jun;13(5):699-708. doi: 10.2174/1871520611313050004.
Beta-glucans (β-glucans), naturally occurring polysaccharides, are present as constituents of the cell wall of cereal grains, mushrooms, algae, or microbes including bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Since Pillemer et al. first prepared and investigated zymosan in the 1940s and others followed with the investigation of β-glucans in the 1960s and 1970s, researchers have well established the significant role of β-glucans on the immune system relative to cancer treatment, infection immunity, and restoration of damaged bone marrow. However, information on their biological role in anti-metastatic activity remains limited. As an immunomodulating agent, β-glucan acts through the activation of innate immune cells such as macrophages, dendritic cells, granulocytes, and natural killer cells. This activation triggers the responses of adaptive immune cells such as CD4(+) or CD8(+) T cells and B cells, resulting in the inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis. Reports have shown that β-glucans exert multiple effects on cancer cells and cancer prevention. However the mechanisms of their actions appear complex due to differences in source, chemical structure, insufficiently defined preparation, and molecular weight, hence the inconsistent and often contradictory results obtained. This review is focused on the potential of β-glucans as anti-metastatic agents and the known mechanisms underlying their biological effects.
β-葡聚糖（β-glucans）是天然存在的多糖，存在于谷物、蘑菇、藻类或微生物（包括细菌、真菌和酵母）的细胞壁中。自 Pillemer 等人于 20 世纪 40 年代首次制备和研究了几丁质以来，其他研究人员在 20 世纪 60 年代和 70 年代对 β-葡聚糖进行了研究，研究人员已经充分确定了 β-葡聚糖在癌症治疗、感染免疫和受损骨髓修复方面对免疫系统的重要作用。然而，关于其在抗转移活性中的生物学作用的信息仍然有限。作为一种免疫调节剂，β-葡聚糖通过激活先天免疫细胞（如巨噬细胞、树突状细胞、粒细胞和自然杀伤细胞）发挥作用。这种激活触发适应性免疫细胞（如 CD4(+)或 CD8(+)T 细胞和 B 细胞）的反应，从而抑制肿瘤生长和转移。研究报告表明，β-葡聚糖对癌细胞和癌症预防有多种作用。然而，由于来源、化学结构、准备不充分、分子量等差异，其作用机制似乎很复杂，因此得到的结果不一致且常常相互矛盾。这篇综述重点介绍了 β-葡聚糖作为抗转移剂的潜力以及其生物学效应的已知机制。
