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. 2011 Aug;11(4):191-5.
doi: 10.4110/in.2011.11.4.191. Epub 2011 Aug 31.

Stimulatory Effect of β-glucans on Immune Cells

Hyung Sook Kim  1 , Jin Tae Hong, Youngsoo Kim, Sang-Bae Han
Affiliations

Stimulatory Effect of β-glucans on Immune Cells

Hyung Sook Kim et al. Immune Netw. 2011 Aug.

Abstract

β-Glucans are naturally occurring polysaccharides that are produced by bacteria, yeast, fungi, and many plants. Although their pharmacological activities, such as immunomodulatory, anti-infective and anti-cancer effects, have been well studied, it is still unclear how β-glucans exert their activities. However, recent studies on the β-glucan receptors shed some light on their mechanism of action. Since β-glucans have large molecular weights, they must bind surface receptors to activate immune cells. In this review, we summarize the immunopharmacological activities and the potential receptors of β-glucans in immune cells.

Keywords: Immune cells; Receptors; β-glucan.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial conflict of interest.

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