Glucans play a role in protection against yeast infections.

2002 DEC 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Beta-1,6 and beta-1,3 glucan appear to prevent serum from immunized mice from conferring protection against Candida albicans in naive animals, according to a report in the journal, Infection and Immunity.

"Mice immunized with heat-inactivated, whole yeast-form cells (Y cells) of Candida albicans developed intense, specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses," said Carla Bromuro and colleagues at the Istituto Superiore di Sanita in Rome and the University of Parma. "However, they were modestly protected against a lethal challenge by the fungus, and their sera did not confer passive protection upon nonimmunized animals."

The investigators, found, however, that the ability of the serum to confer passive protection to mice could be restored by preadsorbing the serum onto intact C. albicans cells. This preadsorption prevented the formation of antibodies specific for mannoprotein (MP)-rich extracts, but stimulated formation of other antibodies, including antibodies specific for beta-1,6 and beta-1,3 glucan (GG).

The researchers cited additional evidence that GG interfere with passive protection against C. albicans. Mice were protected against a challenge with a lethal dose of fungus by inoculation with C. albicans cells that were treated with dithiothreitol and protease (YDP cells) to expose surface GG and generate antibodies against GG but not MP.

The sera of mice inoculated with YDP cells conferred protection on naive mice. The protection conferred by the serum could be eliminated by preadsorbing ...