Table 3.
Main clinical studies evaluating the immunomodulatory effects of β-glucans in cancer patients.
| Compound (Concentration Range 1) |
Cancer Type | Conventional Therapy |
Treated Patients (N) |
Major Findings | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agaricus blazei Murill extract | Gynecological | Yes | 39 | ↑ NK cell activity = LAK and monocyte activity ↓ Chemotherapy-induced side effects |
[73] |
| Agaricus blazei Murill extract (AndoSan, 60 mL/day = 5.7 g β-glucan) | Multiple myeloma | Yes | 19 | ↑ Treg and pDC numbers ↑ IL-1Ra, IL-5, IL-7 ↑ Ig, KIR, HLA gene expression |
[74] |
| Lentinula edodes mycelia extract (1.8 g/day) | Advanced breast | Yes | 10 | Restrained chemotherapy-induced reduction of NK and LAK cell activity and of white blood cell/neutrophil counts ↑ QOL |
[75] |
|
Lentinula edodes mycelia extract (1.8 g/day) |
Breast, gastric, colorectal, esophageal | Yes | 7 | ↑ NK cell and LAK activity ↑ QOL ↓ IAP |
[76] |
|
Lentinula edodes β-glucan Lentinan (1 mg/every other day) |
Esophageal | Yes | 25 | ↓ Chemotherapy side effects ↑ QOL ↑ IL-12, IL-2, IL-6 ↓IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 |
[77] |
| Lentinula edodes β-glucan Lentinan | Gastric | Yes | 20 | ↑ QOL | [78] |
|
Lentinula edodes β-glucan Lentinan (2 mg/Kg/week) |
Unresectable or recurrent gastric | Yes | 147 | = Leukocyte and neutrophil counts = Side-effects = QOL |
[79] |
| Yeast β-glucan (Purified, Imuneks, 20 mg/day) |
Advanced breast | Yes | 15 | Restrained chemotherapy-induced reduction of white blood cells = Neutrophil and monocyte counts ↑ IL-12 ↓IL-4 ↑ QOL |
[80,81] |
| Yeast β-glucan (Purified, Imuneks, 20 mg/day) |
Advanced breast | Yes | 8 | ↑ CD14+ monocyte number ↑ CD95 and CD45RA expression in monocytes |
[82] |
| Agaricus bisporus powder (4–14 g/day) | Recurrent prostate | No | 36 | ↓ MDSC numbers ↑ IL-15 |
[83] |
|
Grifola frondosa D-Fraction (40–150 mg/day) |
Advanced lung and breast | No | 10 | ↑ NK cell activity | [84] |
|
Grifola frondosa D-Fraction (0.1–5 mg/twice/day |
Breast | No | 34 | ↑ NKT and Treg cell numbers ↑ Response of ex-vivo immune cells |
[85] |
| Yeast β-glucan (500 mg/day) |
Newly diagnosed NSCLC | No | 23 | ↓ MDSC numbers | [86] |
Abbreviations: Patients’ number, N; Immunoglobulin, Ig; Immunosuppressive acidic protein, IAP; Killer immunoglobulin receptor, KIR; Lymphokine-activated killer, LAK; Myeloid-derived suppressor cell, MDSC; Natural killer, NK; Non-small cell lung carcinoma, NSCLC; Plasmacytoid DC, pDC; Quality of life, QOL; Regulatory T, Treg. 1 β-glucan concentrations are shown when available.