Краткое описание

CSBG is a β-glucan extracted from Candida albicans and composed mainly of β-1,3 and β-1,6-glucosidic linkages with a small amount of branch. In the preliminary investigation, we have found that human sera from healthy volunteers as well as commercial gamma-globulin preparation significantly reacted with CSBG. In the present study, reactivity of the human sera to CSBG was examined, and specificity of the antibody was examined by various β-glucan fractions from medicinal mushrooms and yeasts. Using CSBG coated ELISA-plate, sera of the normal human volunteers showed higher reactivity, and the reactivity was neutralized by adding soluble CSBG as competitor. Similar specificity was detected in commercially available gamma-globulin prepared from pooled human sera. The β-glucans from Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Agaricus brasiliensis, Penicillium islandicum, and Grifola frondosa were reacted. Comparing the structures with reactivity, the antibody was reacted with β-1,3/-1,6-linked glucose residues, and β-1,6 linkages showed higher reactivity. Isotype of the antibody was mainly IgG. These facts strongly suggested that β-glucans in food, environment, gut flora, as well as pathogenic fungi have continuously stimulated mucosal immune system and enhanced antibody response to β-glucans. To further analyze the clinical meanings of the antibody, the antibody titers in 26 cancer patients were examined and compared with healthy subjects, and the titers significantly varied depending on the condition of the patients. The mechanism of changing antibody titer is not clarified yet; however, monitoring patients with the antibody titer will be a useful diagnostic marker for cancer immune therapy.