Wang Qiang, Sheng Xiaojing, Shi Aimin, Hu Hui, Yang Ying, Liu Li, Fei Ling, Liu Hongzhi
Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
Cornell University, Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA.
Molecules. 2017 Feb 9;22(2):257. doi: 10.3390/molecules22020257.
β-glucan is a type of polysaccharide which widely exists in bacteria, fungi, algae, and plants, and has been well known for its biological activities such as enhancing immunity, antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral, and wound healing activities. The conformation of β-glucan plays a crucial role on its biological activities. Therefore, β-glucans obtained from different sources, while sharing the same basic structures, often show different bioactivities. The basic structure and inter-molecular forces of polysaccharides can be changed by modification, which leads to the conformational transformation in solution that can directly affect bioactivity. In this review, we will first determine different ways to modify β-glucan molecules including physical methods, chemical methods, and biological methods, and then reveal the relationship of the flexible helix form of the molecule chain and the helix conformation to their bioactivities. Last, we summarize the scientific challenges to modifying β-glucan's conformation and functional activity, and discuss its potential future development.
β-葡聚糖是一种广泛存在于细菌、真菌、藻类和植物中的多糖，其增强免疫力、抗肿瘤、抗菌、抗病毒及伤口愈合等生物活性已广为人知。β-葡聚糖的构象对其生物活性起着关键作用。因此，不同来源的β-葡聚糖虽具有相同的基本结构，但往往表现出不同的生物活性。多糖的基本结构和分子间作用力可通过修饰改变，这会导致溶液中的构象转变，进而直接影响生物活性。在本综述中，我们首先将确定修饰β-葡聚糖分子的不同方法，包括物理方法、化学方法和生物学方法，然后揭示分子链的柔性螺旋形式及螺旋构象与其生物活性之间的关系。最后，我们总结了修饰β-葡聚糖构象和功能活性所面临的科学挑战，并探讨其未来潜在的发展。
