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Updated: Jul 27, 2025

Isolation and Purification of Fungal β-Glucan as an Immunotherapy Strategy for Glioblastoma
Published on: June 2, 2023
Sustainable production and pharmaceutical applications of β-glucan from microbial sources
Emma J Murphy1, Emanuele Rezoagli2, Catherine Collins3
1LIFE - Health and Biosciences Research Institute, Midwest Campus, Technological University of the Shannon, Limerick V94EC5T, Ireland; PRISM Research Institute, Midlands Campus, Technological University of the Shannon, Athlone N37 HD68, Ireland.
Abstract:
β-glucans are a large class of complex polysaccharides found in abundant sources. Our dietary sources of β-glucans are cereals that include oats and barley, and non-cereal sources can consist of mushrooms, microalgae, bacteria, and seaweeds. There is substantial clinical interest in β-glucans; as they can be used for a variety of diseases including cancer and cardiovascular conditions. Suitable sources of β-glucans for biopharmaceutical applications include bacteria, microalgae, mycelium, and yeast. Environmental factors including culture medium can influence the biomass and ultimately β-glucan content. Therefore, cultivation conditions for the above organisms can be controlled for sustainable enhanced production of β-glucans. This review discusses the various sources of β-glucans and their cultivation conditions that may be optimised to exploit sustainable production. Finally, this article discusses the immune-modulatory potential of β-glucans from these sources.
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