Glucan and Mannan-Two Peas in a Pod

Abstract

In recent decades, various polysaccharides isolated from algae, mushrooms, yeast, and higher plants have attracted serious attention in the area of nutrition and medicine. The reasons include their low toxicity, rare negative side effects, relatively low price, and broad spectrum of therapeutic actions. The two most and best-studied polysaccharides are mannan and glucan. This review focused on their biological properties.

Keywords: glucan; glucomannan; immunomodulator; mannan; polysaccharide; therapeutic.

Figure 1

Fragment of hepatocyte cytoplasm of mice liver, 24 h after the single mannan A administration (50 mg/kg). Enlarged cisterns of the Golgi complex (arrow); decreased number of rosette of glycogen (stars). Magnification 6000×. All the experimental procedures were carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Laboratory Animal Use Committee of the Scientific Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine. This study was conducted in accordance with the recommendation of European Communities Council Directive of 22 September 2010 (2010/63/EU; Ethic Committee of the Scientific Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine). All the experimental protocols were approved (2/05/2019) by the Ethic Committee of the Scientific Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine. Confirmation of Biomedical Ethic Committee of State Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia Protocol № 5 from 11 September 2014 (Korolenko T.A. experimental work in mice with mannans).

Figure 2

Liver macrophage fragment, 24 h after mannan A (50 mg/kg) administration. Magnification 6000×.

Figure 3

Liver cells of mice with acute lipemia induced by P-407 (250 mg/kg, 24 h). Fragment of hepatocyte of mice, 24 h after P-407 administration. The accumulation of lipid droplets (arrows). Magnification 6000×.

Figure 4

Liver macrophage in mice with acute lipemia, 24 h after P-407 administration. Lipids in cytoplasm (arrows). Magnification 6000×.

Figure 5

Mild lipid accumulation (arrows) in hepatocyte of mice with acute lipemia pretreated by mannan A. Magnification 6000×.

Figure 6

Liver macrophage in mice with acute lipemia pretreated by mannan A; decreased number of lipid droplets. Magnification 6000×.

Figure 7

Effect of preliminary administration of mannan B in mice with acute lipemia induced by P-407 (250 mg/kg, 24 h). Fragment of hepatocytes: enlarged cisterns of Golgi complex and granular endoplasmic net; decreased amount of glycogen rosettes. Activation of nucleolar in hepatocyte nucleus. Magnification 6000×.

Figure 8

Lipid inclusions (arrow) in cytoplasm of macrophage in liver of mice 24 h after P-407-induced hyperlipidemia, effect of mannan B pretreatment. Magnification 6000×.