Table 6.

Immunostimulatory activity of soybean-derived CGJ.

Model	Strain Used in Fermentation	Action Mode	Reference
RAW264.7 macrophage	B. subtilis	Increasing levels of functional polysaccharides Activating mRNA expression of nitric oxide (NO) synthase and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) by inducing nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) → increased production of NO and TNF-α	[126,127]
Mast cells	–	Inhibiting allergen permeation through paracellular diffusion into epithelial cells; suppressing Th2 cells-related cytokine production by modulating Th1/Th2 homeostasis; inhibiting CD4+ T cell differentiation by activating regulatory T cells (Treg); inhibiting degranulation of mast cells	[128]
Male C57BL/6 mice	B. amyloliquefaciens CJ3-27 B. amyloliquefaciens CJ1526 B. subtilis CJ1553	Enhancing T helper type-1-mediated immune response by upregulating production ratio of IFN-γ vs. IL-4 and IgG2a vs. IgG1 in T and B cells; improving enhanced splenic natural killer cell activity → activating humoral and cellular immunity to Th1 response	[129]
Human primary immune cells	–	Modulating isoflavone-derived immunostimulatory activity by enhancing cell proliferation, nitrite, and transcriptional activation of TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS, and COX-2 gene	[130]
Male BALB/cByJ mice	B. subtilis	Improving lymphocyte proliferation, natural killer cell activity, and white blood cell population through activation of NO and immunostimulatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-12)	[126]
MCF7 cells	B. licheniformis B1	Decreasing growth of breast cancer MCF7 cells via upregulation of TGFβ1 and SMAD3, downregulation of inflammation-related genes (CSF2, CSF2RA, and CSF3), and differential expression of the genes encoding chemokines (CCL2, CCL3, CCL3L3, CXCL1, and CXCL2) → preventing breast cancer by TGFβ-dependent signaling mechanism and inhibiting inflammation	[131]
ICR mice	B. subtilis MC31 L. sakei 383	Not inducing any specific toxicity in liver and kidney organs ICR at dose 100 mg/kg body weight/day as no observed effect level	[132]