Beta glucans in higher fungi and their health effects

Abstract

Vedle chitinu obsahují vyšší houby celiu řadu beta glukanů, které mají pozitivní vliv na lidksé zdraví. Projevuje se to zejména u 1,3 a 1,6 beta glukanů Stimulují leukocyty a zvyšují jejich množství v lidksé krvi. Snižují také množství cholesterolu a přispívají ke snižování tělesné hmotnosti. Účinné jsou např. pleuran z hlívy nebo lentinan z houževnatce.

Together with chitin, the ?-glucans belong to building materials of mycetes cell walls. A high biological efficiency was found especially in ?-1,3- D-glucans and ?-1,6-D-glucans isolated from some basidiomycetes. These polysaccharides show a direct effect on leukocytes and stimulate them to produce antibodies and to increase their numbers in blood. Especially, they increase the numbers of Th1 lymphocytes, which have a positive effect on the protection of organism against allergic reactions. A number of ?-glucans, for example pleuran from Oyster (Pleurotus spp.) mushrooms or lentinan from Shi-Take (Lentinus edodes), showed a marked antioncogenic activity. In addition to an immunity-stimulating effect, ?-glucans may also participate in physiological processes related to the metabolism of fats in human body. Their application results in a decrease in the content of total cholesterol in blood and may also contribute to the reduction of body weight.