CIISA-Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.
Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Mar 15;23(6):3156. doi: 10.3390/ijms23063156.
β-glucans are a diverse group of polysaccharides composed of β-1,3 or β-(1,3-1,4) linked glucose monomers. They are mainly synthesized by fungi, plants, seaweed and bacteria, where they carry out structural, protective and energy storage roles. Because of their unique physicochemical properties, they have important applications in several industrial, biomedical and biotechnological processes. β-glucans are also major bioactive molecules with marked immunomodulatory and metabolic properties. As such, they have been the focus of many studies attesting to their ability to, among other roles, fight cancer, reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and control diabetes. The physicochemical and functional profiles of β-glucans are deeply influenced by their molecular structure. This structure governs β-glucan interaction with multiple β-glucan binding proteins, triggering myriad biological responses. It is then imperative to understand the structural properties of β-glucans to fully reveal their biological roles and potential applications. The deconstruction of β-glucans is a result of β-glucanase activity. In addition to being invaluable tools for the study of β-glucans, these enzymes have applications in numerous biotechnological and industrial processes, both alone and in conjunction with their natural substrates. Here, we review potential applications for β-glucans and β-glucanases, and explore how their functionalities are dictated by their structure.
β-葡聚糖是由β-1,3 或β-(1,3-1,4)连接的葡萄糖单体组成的一组具有多种结构的多糖。它们主要由真菌、植物、海藻和细菌合成，在这些生物中，β-葡聚糖发挥着结构、保护和能量储存的作用。由于其独特的物理化学性质，β-葡聚糖在多个工业、生物医学和生物技术过程中有重要的应用。β-葡聚糖也是具有显著免疫调节和代谢特性的主要生物活性分子。因此，它们一直是许多研究的焦点，这些研究证明了它们能够发挥多种作用，如抗癌、降低心血管疾病风险和控制糖尿病。β-葡聚糖的物理化学和功能特性深受其分子结构的影响。该结构决定了β-葡聚糖与多种β-葡聚糖结合蛋白的相互作用，引发了无数的生物学反应。因此，了解β-葡聚糖的结构特性对于充分揭示其生物学作用和潜在应用至关重要。β-葡聚糖的解构是β-葡聚糖酶活性的结果。除了作为研究β-葡聚糖的宝贵工具外，这些酶在许多生物技术和工业过程中具有应用价值，无论是单独使用还是与它们的天然底物一起使用。在这里，我们综述了β-葡聚糖和β-葡聚糖酶的潜在应用，并探讨了它们的功能如何由其结构决定。
