Yeast beta glucan has anticancer effects

Medical application: cancer

Anticarcinogenic substances are able to reduce, delay, or even prevent the development of malignancies . Different studies have shown anticarcinogenic action of β-glucans and their derivatives. At the end of 1970s, a study on mice with subcutaneous tumor implantation revealed that extracts containing high concentrations of β-glucan significantly reduced growth of mammary carcinomas and melanomas in animals treated and verified an increase in survival of these animals . Kogan et al. observed increased inhibition in the occurrence of lung metastases up to 94% in animals that received oral administration of β-glucan during treatment with cyclophosphamide for Lewis lung carcinoma. Several surveys show the effectiveness of antitumor action of β-glucans in chemotherapy and the improvement in the survival of patients with different types of cancer. A study involving women with malignant breast tumors confirmed the activation and proliferation of monocytes in peripheral blood of patients upon oral administration of β-glucan. According to the researchers, clinical improvement in the survival of patients with no evidence of any recurrent side effects was demonstrated . The effective immune response against tumor cells mediated by β-glucans is based on the activation and expansion of several immune functions, among them the activation of cytotoxic T cells specifically attack cancer cells. The CD4+ T lymphocytes play a role as modulators of immune cells to produce multiple cytokines. The latter are mediators essential for the generation of an effective immune response involving CD8+ T cells, which are necessary for the defense against tumor cells. The effects of β-glucan in lymphocyte activation involving the antitumor immune response have been reported in experimental animal and human models. A study of 30 patients with advanced prostate cancer, who were treated by oral administration of a soluble fraction of β-glucan (carboxymethyl glucan), revealed that after administration there was a significant increase in CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ in peripheral blood of patients and consequent stimulation of the immune system .