Immunotoxicity of soluble beta-glucans induced by indomethacin treatment

[Fungal Beta-glucans: Structure and Effect on Host Immune Responses]

Fungi are eukaryotic microorganisms that show complex life cycles, including both anamorph and teleomorph stages. Beta-1,3-1,6-glucans (BGs) are major cell wall components in fungi. BGs are also found in a soluble form and are secreted by fungal cells. Studies of fungal BGs extensively expanded from 1960 to 1990 due to their applications in cancer immunotherapy. However, progress in this field slowed down due to the low efficacy of such therapies. In the early 21st century, the discovery of C-type lectin receptors significantly enhanced the molecular understanding of innate immunity. Moreover, pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) were also discovered. Soon, dectin-1 was identified as the PRR of BGs, whereas BGs were established as PAMPs. Then, studies on fungal BGs focused on their participation in the development of deep-seated mycoses and on their role as a source of functional foods. Fungal BGs may have numerous and complex linkages, making it difficult to systematize them even at the primary structure level. Moreover, elucidating the structure of BGs is largely hindered by the multiplicity of genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis, including those for BGs, and by fungal diversity. The present review mainly focused on the characteristics of fungal BGs from the viewpoint of structure and immunological activities.

Renewable sources: applications in personal care formulations

A global tendency for products considered environmentally sustainable, and ecologically obtained led the industry related to personal care formulations to fund the research and the development of personal care/cosmetics containing ingredients from natural resources. Furthermore, consumers are aware of environmental and sustainability issueans, thus not harming the environment represents a key consideration when developing a new cosmetic ingredient. In this study we review some examples of active ingredients or raw materials used in cosmetics/personal care/biomedical products that are coming from either through biotechnological systems, or as byproducts of several industries. A skin formulation containing biosynthetic actives, prepared by us and the study regarding its dermocosmetic properties are also described. The need for the standardization processes, the safety assessment tools, the improvement of the exploitation methods of these renewable sources in order the production to be ecologically and economically better are also discussed.

Preparation, characterization, and biological properties of β-glucans

β-Glucans are soluble fibers with physiological functions, such as, interference with absorption of sugars and reduction of serum lipid levels. β-glucans are found in different species, such as, Rhynchelytrum repens, Lentinus edodes, Grifola frondosa, Tremella mesenterica, Tremella aurantia, Zea may, Agaricus blazei, Phellinus baummi, Saccharomyces cerevisae (yeast), and Agaricus blazei murell (mushroom). Analysis of the fractions reveals the presence of arabinose, glucose, xylose, and traces of rhamnose and galactose. The presence of β-glucan in these fractions is confirmed by hydrolyzing the polymers with endo-β-glucanase from Bacillus subtilis, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the characteristic oligosaccharides produced. The 4 M KOH fractions from different tissues are subjected to gel permeation chromatography on Sepharose 4B, with separation of polysaccharides, with different degrees of polymerization, the highest molecular mass (above 2000 kDa) being found in young leaves. The molecular mass of the leaf blade polymers is similar (250 kDa) to that of the maize coleoptiles β-glucan used for comparison. The 4 M KOH fraction injected into rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes has shown hypoglycemic activity, reducing blood sugar to normal levels for approximately 24 hours. This performance is better than that obtained with pure β-glucan from barley, which decreases blood sugar levels for about four hours. These results suggest that the activity of β-glucans is responsible for the use of this plant extract as a hypoglycemic drug in folk medicine.