β-Glucan in Allergies

Abstract

Multiple effects of β-glucan are well established. Together with the effects on antibacterial and anticancer immunity, glucan has been shown to stimulate bone marrow cells, lower cholesterol and to protects against stress and some kinds of poisoning. However, despite literally thousands of papers describing biological effects of β-glucan, only limited attention has been focused on the role of β-glucan in allergic reactions. Our review is focused on evaluating the current knowledge of the possible role of β-glucan in allergic reactions. Most of published studies concur that based on the improved Th1/Th2 balance, β-glucan showed a potential for development as an adjunct to the standard treatment of in patients with allergies.