β(1-3)-D-glucan affects adipogenesis, wound healing and inflammation

Numerous types of beta(1-3)-D-glucans have been isolated from almost every species of yeast, grain, and fungi. These products have been extensively studied for their immunological and pharmacological effects. In this paper we evaluated the possibility whether individual beta(1-3)-D-glucans will have an activity in less studied areas such as adipogenesis and inflammation. Our results showed that of the tested beta(1-3)-D-glucans, yeast-derived insoluble Glucan #300, strongly inhibited adipogenic differentiation, supported wound healing and significantly lowered skin irritation. The remaining beta(1-3)-D-glucans were significantly less active. Taken together, our study showed that with respect to natural beta(1-3)-D-glucans, there is a clear yes-or-no effect suggesting that highly purified and highly active beta(1-3)-D-glucans will have pleiotropic biological impact, whereas poorly isolated and/or less active beta(1-3)-D-glucans will have only mediocre properties.