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JANA Vol.11, No.1, 2008 42
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
A Comparison of Injected and
Orally Administered ββ-glucans
Vaclav Vetvicka, PhD*, Jana Vetvickova, MS
University of Louisville, Department of Pathology, Louisville, Kentucky
* Correspondence:
Vaclav Vetvicka, PhD
University of Louisville
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
511 S. Floyd, MDR Bldg., Rm. 224
Louisville, KY 40202
Phone: 502-852-1612 FAX: 502-852-1177
E-mail: vetvickavaclav@netscape.net
ABSTRACT
β-glucans have been extensively studied for their phar-
macological effects. Despite in-depth research, little is
known about the optimal dose and/or optimal route of appli-
cation. In this paper, we are reporting the result of compar-
ing the immunostimulating activities of four commercially
available glucans differing both in their solubility and
source. In addition, we compared intraperitoneal and oral
application, and the differences between a single versus
repeated doses.
Our data showed strong differences in activities of indi-
vidual glucans, with glucan yeast-derived #300 being the
best, and grain-derived ImmuneFiber being the worst.
Furthermore, we demonstrated that oral delivery of glucan
resulted in significant immunological activity, which albeit
slightly lower, corresponded with injectable application.
Depending on the applied dose, the effects of individual
glucans were long-lasting and in some cases, lasted up to
two weeks.
In conclusion, our report represents further evidence
about differences among commercial glucans and shows
that these biological response modifiers can be similarly
active when used in both injectable and oral form.
INTRODUCTION
Natural products, useful in treating or preventing vari-
ous diseases, have been sought throughout the history of
mankind. Most of these natural products are plagued with a
common problem, i.e., the fact that they often represent a
complex mixture of individual ingredients, each of which
can contribute to their biological activities. Natural (1,3)-β-
D-glucans from yeast, grain and mushrooms are well-estab-
lished biological response modifiers,1,2 representing highly
conserved structural components of cell walls in yeast,
fungi, seaweed, or grain seeds.
Numerous types of glucans have been isolated from
almost every species of yeast, grain and fungi. (1,3)- β-D-
glucans have been extensively studied for their immunolog-
ical and pharmacological effects. More than 2,000 papers
describing the biological activities of glucans exist in the
literature.3Another advantage of glucans is the fact that all
sufficiently purified polysaccharidic immunomodulators
distinguish themselves by very low toxicity (e.g., for mouse
lentinan has LD50 > 1600 mg/kg4).
Despite detailed knowledge of the activities of many
glucans, limited information is available regarding the
mechanisms of action by orally delivered glucans. For some
time, there were even suggestions that orally administered
glucans have no activity at all. Only recently has more
information about the mechanisms of action of orally deliv-
ered glucans become available.5,6
The limited number of papers dealing with the prob-
lems of glucan transfer through the gastrointestinal tract
mainly focus on the fact that fluorescent-labeled glucan can
be detected in cells isolated from various tissues.7The stud-
ies of Ross’s group indicated that orally-administered (1,3)-
β-D-glucan is taken up by gastrointestinal macrophages
JANA Vol.11, No. 1, 2008 43
and subsequently shuttled to the reticuloendothelial system
and bone marrow. Recent observation found that both insol-
uble glucans and soluble seaweed-derived Phycarine have
similarly pronounced effects when applied via intraperi-
toneal or oral administration.7,8,9
The aims of the present study were to follow up our
previously published comparison of commercial β-glu-
cans10 and to test the effect of different commercially avail-
able glucans on both the cellular and humoral branches of
immune reactions using different routes of administration.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Animals
Female, 6 to 10 week old BALB/c mice were pur-
chased from the Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME). All
animal work was done according to the University of
Louisville IACUC protocol. Animals were sacrificed by
CO2asphyxiation.
Materials
RPMI 1640 medium, sodium citrate, dextran, ovalbu-
min, Ficoll-Hypaque, antibiotics, sodium azide, bovine
serum albumin, Wright stain, Limulus lysate test E-TOX-
ATE, Freund’s adjuvant and Concanavalin A were obtained
from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO). Fetal calf serum
(FCS) was from Hyclone Laboratories (Logan, UT).
ββ-1,3 glucans
The glucans used in this study were purchased from the
following companies: NOW BETA glucan from NOW
FOODS (Bloomingdale, IL), Krestin from Biotec (Kureha
Chemical Industries, Tokyo, Japan), Glucan #300 from
Transfer Point (Columbia, SC), and ImmunoFiber from
(Whole Control, Arvada, CO).
Glucan treatment
Individual glucans were applied either intraperitoneally or
orally. The samples were collected at different intervals after
either single or three ip. injections (100 mg of glucan/mouse)
or after one day or a fourteen-day feeding with glucan-con-
taining diet. All diets (Laboratory Rodent Diet 5001 enhanced
with various doses of glucan) were formulated and prepared by
Purina (Richmond, IN). Diet ingredients for all groups were
identical except for the proportion of glucan.
Antibodies
For fluorescence staining, the following antibodies
have been employed: anti-mouse CD4, CD8 and CD19,
conjugated with FITC, which were purchased from
Biosource (Camarillo, CA).
Flow cytometry
Cells were stained with monoclonal antibodies on ice
in 12 x 75-mm glass tubes using standard techniques.
Pellets of 5x105cells were incubated with 10 µl of FITC-
labeled antibodies (1 to 20 µg/ml in PBS) for 30 minutes on
ice. After washing with cold PBS, the cells were re-sus-
pended in PBS containing 1% BSA and 10 mM sodium
azide. Flow cytometry was performed with a FACScan
(Becton Dickinson, San Jose, CA) flow cytometer and the
data from over 10,000 cells/samples were analyzed.
Phagocytosis
The technique that employs phagocytosis of synthetic
polymeric microspheres was described earlier.11,12 Briefly:
peritoneal cells were incubated with 0.05 ml of 2-hydrox-
yethyl methacrylate particles (HEMA; 5x108/ml). The test
tubes were incubated at 37° C for 60 min., with intermit-
tent shaking. Smears were stained with Wright stain. The
cells with three or more HEMA particles were considered
positive. The same smears were also used for evaluation of
cell types.
Evaluation of IL-2 production
Purified spleen cells (2x106/ml in RPMI 1640 medium
with 5% FCS) were added into wells of a 24-well tissue cul-
ture plate. After the addition of 1 mg of Concanavalin A
into positive-control wells, cells were incubated for 72 hrs.
in a humidified incubator (37°C, 5% CO2). At the endpoint
of incubation, supernatants were collected, filtered through
0.45 mm filters and tested for the presence of IL-2. Levels
of the IL-2 were measured using a Quantikine mouse IL-2
kit (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN).
RESULTS
Most published studies describe effects of injected β-
glucans (either ip., iv. or sc.). However, it is necessary, in
the event of clinical practice, to evaluate the possibility of
oral delivery.
Phagocytosis is one of the biological activities tradi-
tionally connected with effects of immunomodulators,
including glucans. Therefore, we started our study by com-
paring the effects of orally and intraperitoneally applied
glucans. When used as a single dose, ip. application showed
more profound effects than oral application (Figure 1 A,B).
In addition, some glucans (such as NOW and Krestin)
exhibited either longer effects or were effective only after
injection. When we repeated the glucan administration for
three consecutive days, we found not only higher phagocyt-
ic activity, but that it also lasted significantly longer (in the
case of #300 and Krestin, up to 7 days). Oral delivery also
showed higher effects, but similar to a single dose, signifi-
JANA Vol.11, No. 1, 200844
cant effects were observed only in the case of #300 (Figure
2 A,B).
Next, we evaluated the effects of our glucans on the
expression of some immunologically important surface
markers on spleen lymphocytes isolated from mice stimulat-
ed with individual glucans. Using ip. injection, we found that
24 hrs. later, all glucans increased expression of CD4, but this
effect was long-lasting only in the case of #300 (Figure 3A).
When testing CD8 expression, the effects of three active glu-
cans, #300, NOW and Krestin, were observed for 48 hrs.
(Figure 4 A). None of the tested glucans affected the number
of CD19-positive cells (B lymphocytes (Figure 5A).
A similar situation has been found in orally-stimulated
mice; the only exception was no activity of ImmunoFiber
(Figures 3B,4B). Again, no effects on expression of CD19
(Figure 5B).
Production of IL-2 belongs to the valuable indicators of
the immune activities. Therefore, we compared the effects of
tested glucans on the secretion of IL-2 by spleen cells iso-
lated from glucan-treated mice. The IL-2 production was
measured after a 72 hr. in vitro incubation of cells. The
results, summarized in Figure 6, showed that even when all
tested glucan stimulated IL-2 production, there were huge
differences between individual glucans (i.e., #300 stimulat-
ed IL-2 secretion 3.5 times more than ImmunoFiber). The
activity of all tested glucans slowly decreased with time, but
was still measurable 14 days after injection (Figure 6A).
Virtually identical, albeit lower, results were found in the
case of orally-treated mice (Figure 6B).
When we evaluated the IL-2 production after repeated
stimulation with glucans, we found a higher overall secre-
tion of IL-2. Using ip. injection, #300 was more active than
Figure 1.Figure 2.
Effect of an administration of 100 µg of different glucan samples
on phagocytosis by peripheral blood granulocytes (A intraperi-
toneally, B orally). Glucans were applied three times. Each value
represents the mean ± SD. *Represents significant differences
between control (PBS) and glucan samples at P ≤0.05 level.
Effect of an administration of 100 µg of different glucan samples
on phagocytosis by peripheral blood granulocytes (A intraperi-
toneally, B orally). Each value represents the mean ± SD.
*Represents significant differences between control (PBS) and
glucan samples at P ≤0.05 level.
AA
BB
JANA Vol.11, No. 1, 2008 45
Concanavalin A up to seven days after last application, with
both Krestin and NOW showing strong stimulation (Figure
7A). The same situation was found after oral application,
where we discovered significant stimulation in each glucan
even two weeks after the last application (Figure 7B). It is
important to note that the secretion of IL-2 by control (i.e.,
non-stimulated cells) was almost zero; therefore, all glucans
yielded statistically significant stimulations. When com-
pared to stimulation with Con A, #300 showed stronger
effects, Krestin and NOW were comparable, and
ImmunoFiber showed lower activity.
Glucans are usually considered more as stimulators of
the cellular branch of immune reactions; however, some
glucans can act as nonspecific adjuvant. Using an experi-
mental model of ovalbumin immunization, we applied glu-
can either intraperitoneally together with two doses of anti-
gen (Figure 8A), or orally for two weeks (Figure 8B). In
both cases, only glucans #300, Krestin and ImmunoFiber
showed stimulation of antibody response.
Finally, we evaluated whether the glucan feeding was
reflected in changes of weight of individual organs. As seen
in Table 1, there were no differences in the weight of any
tested organs. In addition, the ip. injection had no effects
(results not shown).
DISCUSSION
β-Glucans show notable physiological effects, which is
the main reason why so much attention has been devoted to
them. They belong to a group of physiologically active
Figure 3. Figure 4.
Effect of application of 100 µg of tested glucans on the expression
of CD4 marker by spleen cells (A intraperitoneally, B orally). The
cells from three donors at each time interval were examined and
the results given represent the means ± SD.
*Represents significant differences between control (PBS) and
samples at P ≤0.05 level.
Effect of application of 100 µg of tested glucans on the expression
of CD8 marker by spleen cells (A intraperitoneally, B orally). The
cells from three donors at each time interval were examined and the
results given represent the means ± SD. *Represents significant dif-
ferences between control (PBS) and samples at P ≤0.05 level.
A
BB
A
46 JANA Vol.11, No. 1, 2008
Figure 5. Figure 6.
Effect of application of 100 ?g of tested glucans on the expression
of CD19 marker by spleen cells (A intraperitoneally, B orally). The
cells from three donors at each time interval were examined and
the results given represent the means ± SD.
Effects of glucans on Con A-stimulated secretion of IL-2 by spleen
cells (A intraperitoneally, B orally).
Table 1.
Control #300 Krestin ImmunoFibre Now
Total weight 23.33 ± 1.06 24.34 ± 1.27 24.11 ± 1.48 24.99 ± 4.11 26.99 ± 2.77
Liver 1.77 ± 0.23 1.49 ± 0.31 1.55 ± 0.19 1.54 ± 0.38 1.47 ± 0.35
Spleen 0.16 ± 0.09 0.17 ± 0.06 0.14 ± 0.05 0.17 ± 0.07 0.16 ± 0.03
Thymus 0.05 ± 0.02 0.06 ± 0.01 0.06 ± 0.01 0.05 ± 0.01 0.08 ± 0.02
Heart 0.16 ± 0.06 0.17 ± 0.10 0.18 ± 0.08 0.16 ± 0.03 0.17 ± 0.03
Kidneys 0.14 ± 0.10 0.38 ± 0.07 0.40 ± 0.12 0.40 ± 0.15 0.42 ± 0.05
Lung 0.16 ± 0.02 0.17 ± 0.02 0.15 ± 0.02 0.18 ± 0.03 0.18 ± 0.05
BB
AA
47JANA Vol. 11, No. 1, 2008
compounds, collectively termed biological response modi-
fiers. Thus far, among many known and tested immunomod-
ulators of the first order, polysaccharides isolated from dif-
ferent microorganisms and plants hold a formidable place.
A large number of such polysaccharides, that act only as
immunopotentiators are well known.13
Binding of β-glucan to specific receptors (either CR3
or Dectin-1) activates macrophages. The activation consists
of several interconnected processes including increased
chemokinesis, chemotaxis, migration of macrophages,
degranulation leading to increased expression of adhesive
molecules, and adhesion to the endothelium. In addition, β-
glucan binding triggers intracellular processes, character-
ized by the respiratory burst after phagocytosis of invading
cells (formation of reactive oxygen species and free radi-
cals), the increase of content and activity of hydrolytic
enzymes, and signaling processes leading to activation of
other cells and secretion of cytokines. For an excellent
review regarding interaction of glucans with macrophages,
see Schepetkin and Quinn.14
Regarding the question as to whether glucans are sim-
ilarly active when administered orally, we compared the
oral and intraperitoneal applications. To allow our experi-
ments more relevancy in the use of natural immunostimu-
lants, we compared the effects of a single application with
repeated doses.
The rationale for the choice of glucans parallels what
was stated in our previous paper.10 We chose four glucans
widely sold and available in the US, Europe, and the Far
East, representing grain-, mushroom- and yeast-derived glu-
cans in soluble and insoluble form. Briefly, #300 is insolu-
ble yeast-derived glucan; Krestin is soluble mushroom-
Figure 7. Figure 8.
Effects of glucans on Con A–stimulated secretion of IL-2 by
spleen cells (A intraperitoneally, B orally). Glucans were applied
three times.
Effects of two ip. injections (A) or two week oral delivery (B) of test-
ed glucans on formation of antibodies against ovalbumin. Mice
were injected twice (two weeks apart) with antigen and the serum
was collected 7 days after last injection. Level of specific antibod-
ies against ovalbumin was detected by ELISA. As a positive control,
Freund’s adjuvant was used. *Represents significant differences
between control (ovalbumin alone) and samples at P ≤0.05 level.
AA
B
B
JANA Vol.11, No. 1, 200848
derived glucan; ImmunoFiber represents soluble grain-
derived glucan; and NOW is a mixture of both insoluble glu-
cans from yeast and soluble glucans from mushrooms.
There are very few comprehensive reviews focused on
biological properties of glucans from various existing
sources. The comparative reviews focus mainly on the
reflection of chemical characteristics of glucans on their
biological and immunological properties.15,16
In this paper, we continued the comparison of several
commercially important glucans.10 Glucans are well known
for their ability to stimulate the innate immunity and the
cellular branch of immune reaction.13 Therefore, our initial
focus was phagocytic activity with the use of peripheral
blood neutrophils and synthetic microspheres as a model.
Our results confirmed our previous studies showing that
glucan #300 was one of the most active glucans, regardless
of the route of application.8,10,17-19 Additional data showed
that the duration of these effects depends on the strength
and timing of the glucan treatment since repeated doses
clearly resulted in stronger and longer action stimulation.
We then turned our attention to the effect of glucans on
surface markers. In the case of CD4-positive lymphocytes,
one injection of any of the glucans was enough to increase
the influx of these cells. In the case of oral application, the
data were similar with the exception of ImmunoFiber,
which showed no activity. Similar data were observed in the
case of CD8-positive splenocytes. In both cases, only #300,
Krestin and NOW showed longer effects — two days for
Krestin and NOW, and up to one week for glucan #300. The
number of CD19-positive cells (B lymphocytes) did not
change. These findings were in agreement with previous
data established using Phycarine20 or lentinan.21 When we
measured repeated doses of glucan, the results were identi-
cal to those shown in Figures 3 to 5, and due to the restrict-
ed space, were not included in this report.
It is assumed that glucan application results in signal-
ing processes leading to activation of macrophages and
other cells, and subsequent secretion of cytokines and other
substances initiating inflammation reactions (e.g., inter-
leukins IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α).22-24 We found that all
tested glucans stimulated splenocytes to produce IL-2, with
#300 and Krestin showing the strongest and longest effects.
Our findings were similar to previously published data.8,10,20
As some recent studies established that glucans can
also support the humoral branch of the immune reaction by
serving as adjuvant,25 we compared the adjuvant activities
of tested glucans with Freund’s adjuvant. Our results
showed that even when the activities were always lower than
those of Freund’s adjuvant, they were nevertheless signifi-
cant, with the higher activity found in the previously almost
inactive ImmunoFiber. These data correlate well with the
previous finding of significant adjuvant activity with grain-
derived glucans.10 It is important to note that in these exper-
iments, we applied the glucans either two times ip. (togeth-
er with the antigen) or for a full two weeks (in case of oral
application).
The present paper represents yet another proof of vast
differences among commercially available glucans. To con-
clude — glucan #300 was again a highly active glucan with
a sufficiently broad range of action. We demonstrated that
oral application is comparable to the intraperitoneal route,
and that the somehow lower effects after oral stimulation
can be easily overcome by repeated oral doses.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors thank Ms. Rosemary Williams for excel-
lent editorial assistance.
DISCLAIMER
The authors of this study have no significant financial
interest in any of the products or manufacturers mentioned in
the article. No external funding was provided for this study.
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