Mushroom Beta Glucan

A ubiquitous polysaccharide, Beta glucan is a bioactive molecule found in many different substances. When it comes to our health, the main sources of Beta glucan include barley, oats, yeast and mushrooms. Because Beta glucan is a long-chain polysaccharide, the different sugars can be linked in several different ways, which allows for different appearances and functions to the different forms of Beta glucan.

Glucose (glucan) linkages of (1-3), (1-4) and (1-6) link types are known to occur and are known to have some health benefits. It is not well known if the linkage type makes a difference in how the substance works or if longer chains are better than shorter chains. However, the medical evidence does point in that direction. It does appear to be important to pay attention to the source of the Beta glucan you use based on the results you are looking for.

The research has seemed to follow the guideline that Beta glucan from oats and barley help lower cholesterol and blood sugar and do not have much activity beyond that.

Mushroom Beta glucan and yeast Beta glucan appear to have some overlapping features. The mushroom source of Beta glucan has been used in many countries in Asia for health purposes for a long time. When you look at research on mushroom Beta glucan, a large percentage has been done in Asian research laboratories. Beta glucan extracted from different mushrooms now has trade names used for research and health uses, like Lentinan, Schizophyllan, Krestin and PSK. Having these kinds of standardized mushroom Beta glucan can make it easier to compare research studies between laboratories.

Beta glucan is derived from the ripe fruiting bodies of various mushrooms. Mushroom Beta glucan has shown effectiveness as an anti-tumor defense and as an immune system booster. In one recent study, mushroom Beta glucan was able to activate and promote the release of infection-fighting cytokines.

In another study on Lentinan, a Beta glucan source which comes from shiitake mushrooms, mice were given mushroom Beta glucan and were able to block the progression of tumor cells. Yet another study showed that Beta glucans protected lymphocyte blood cells (important in the immune system) from undergoing DNA damage by free radicals.

It was also found that (1-3) Beta glucan from mushrooms resulted in the activation of macrophages that make molecules that kill off tumor cells or dangerous pathogenic bacteria—molecules like nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor and macrophage inhibitor proteins.

An article which reviewed several types of mushroom Beta glucan showed that different mushrooms had different effects on different tumors and it was clear that some mushrooms act more strongly against some tumors than against others.

There is a large body of research showing of the effectiveness of Beta glucan derived from mushrooms against a variety of things, like tumors of different types, radiation injury or infections.

Exactly how mushroom Beta glucan acts on the immune system and on the body in general is not studied very well. Even so, mushroom Beta glucan seems to act within the body system and seems to show very different activities from oat and barley Beta glucan. In many ways, mushroom Beta glucan is more similar to yeast Beta glucan but is less well studied biochemically than is the yeast form.

When compared to bakers yeast derived Beta glucan the immune response results of the yeast-derived has shown to be more effective and is well established in medical literature. It has also been shown to provide positive results on cholesterol and diabetes. It is a powerful immune system support material. Both Mushroom Beta glucan and Yeast derived Beta glucan are not a treatment for any disease or condition. They are an immunomodulator that have been shown to support immune system function.

However the immune response results of yeast-derived Beta glucan has shown to be more effective. It has also been shown to provide positive results on cholesterol and blood sugar challenged individuals. It is a powerful immune system support material. Yeast-derived Beta glucan is not a treatment for any disease or condition. It is an immunomodulator that has been shown to support immune system function.

References:

1. Pacheco-Sanchez M, et al. “A bioactive (1,3), (1,4) beta D glucan from Collybia dryophila and other mushrooms.” Mycologia. 2006 Mar-Apr;98(2):180-5.
2. Ng ML, Yap AT. “Inhibition of human colon cancer development by Lentinan from shiitake mushrooms (Lentinus edodes). J Altern Complement Med. 2002 Oct;8(5):581-9.
3. Ooi VE, Liu, F. “Immunomodulation and anti-cancer activity of polysaccharide-protein complexes.” Curr Med Chem. 2000 Jul;7(7):715-29.
4. Borchers AT, et al. “Mushrooms, tumors and immunity.” Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1999 Sep;221(4):281-93.
5. Katakoa K, et al. “Activation of macrophages by linear 1-3 beta D glucans, implications for the recognition of fungi by innate immunity.” J Biol Chem. 2002 Sep 27;277(39): 26825-31.
6. Camellini CM, et al. “Stuctural characterization of beta-glucans of Agaricus brasiliensis in different stages of fruiting body maturity and their use in nutraceutical products.” Biotechnol Let. 2005 Sep;27(17):1295-9.
7. Angeli JP, et al. “Protective effects of beta-glucan extracted from Agaricus brasiliensis against chemically induced DNA damage in human lymphocytes.” Cell Biol Toxicol. 2006 Jul;22(4):285-91.