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Updated: Apr 4, 2026

Metabolic Glycoengineering of Sialic Acid Using N-acyl-modified Mannosamines
Published on: November 25, 2017
Dietary sugars inhibit biologic functions of the pattern recognition molecule, mannose-binding lectin
Kazue Takahashi1, Wei-Chuan Chang1, Patience Moyo1
1Program of Developmental Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
None:
Mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a mammalian lectin, is a pattern recognition molecule of the innate immune system and recognizes carbohydrates that are exposed on pathogens. In this study, we observed that fructose down regulates MBL-mediated innate immune mechanisms against both influenza A Virus (IAV) and Staphylococcus aureus. These mechanisms include the lectin complement pathway and coagulation enzyme-like activities on both pathogens. Furthermore, fructose also reduces MBL-mediated phagocytosis of S. aureus and IAV and MBL-mediated IAV infection to epithelial cells. In contrast, sucrose inhibits MBL-mediated immune mechanisms against S. aureus but not IAV. Together, our studies show that dietary sugars, in particular fructose, negatively regulate the innate immunity against viral and bacterial pathogens.
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