[Modulatory effect of glucans on the function of murine macrophages, NK-cells and lymphocytes]

The particulate glucan (G1), soluble glucan preparations (G2 to G5, and G7) isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and glucomanan prepared from culture fluid after cultivation of Candida utilis (G6) were tested for their immunomodulatory activity in vivo and in vitro. In tests in vivo three soluble glucans (G3, G4, and G7) injected s.c. to mice in the dose of 10 mg/kg increased the cytotoxic activity of peritoneal macrophages. The influence of glucans on natural killer cells was without significance. The lymphoproliferative reaction of spleen cells to polyclonal mitogens was inhibited by all the preparations used with the exception of soluble glucan G2. The mitogenic effect of the preparations, co-stimulatory tests and direct cytotoxicity to cells of cell lines used in cytotoxicity assays were assessed in vitro. The transformation index of glucans in the study was increased according to the glucan and dose tested. Inhibition of the lymphoproliferative reaction measured by the co-stimulatory test for optimal concentration of Concanavalin A occurred in a wide range of doses for the preparations G1 to G6. The preparation G7 increased the incorporation of 3HTdR under the same conditions. The use of a suboptimal concentration of Concanavalin A revealed co-stimulatory activity of all the preparations tested. Assessment of the cytotoxic activity of peritoneal macrophages and of the activity of natural killer cells induced in vitro was complicated by the direct cytotoxicity of particulate glucan and soluble glucan G5 (carboxymethylglucan) for target cells (YAC 1, and YAC 1 and K 562 resp.).