Using Semantic MEDLINE to Explore Glucan Research

Thomas C. Rindflesch, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

Research on Glucans

• Investigated glucans with Semantic MEDLINE• Issued several queries to the application– Glucan; glucan immune; glucan cancer; glucan

immune cancer; glucan “interleukin-2”• Inspected each graph• Aggregated “interesting” predications into one

graph• Provides an overview of current research

Predicational Overview

AUGMENTS Immunologic Function

Scand J Immunol. 2013 Jul;78(1):61-8. doi: 10.1111/sji.12067.Enhancement of intestinal immune function in mice by β-D-glucan from aureobasidium pullulans ADK-34.Tanioka A1, Tanabe K, Hosono A, Kawakami H, Kaminogawa S, Tsubaki K, Hachimura S.Abstractβ-Glucans, glucose polymers that are the main constituents of the outer cell walls of micro-organisms such as fungi and yeast, are known to play an immunostimulatory role. We prepared β-glucan (β-(1-3),(1-6)-D-glucan) from an edible cultured fungus through fermentation techniques using a strain of Aureobasidium pullulans ADK-34. The purity of this β-glucan preparation (AP-FBG) was demonstrated to be high through various instrumental analyses. We then examined the effects of AP-FBG on intestinal immune systems. …Therefore, AP-FBG may be a useful ingredient for preparing functional foods with immunomodulatory activities. [PMID: 23672535

Tumor cells, malignant LOCATION_OF

AbstractJ Immunol. 2014 Feb 1;192(3):1302-12. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1301495. Epub 2014 Jan 3. The (1->6)-β-glucan moiety represents a cross-reactive epitope of infection-induced malignancy surveillance.Dong H1, Dai H, Hu X, Xiong SD, Gao XM.

AbstractExposure to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by vaccination or infection is known to have beneficial effects on neoplastic diseases, although the underlying molecular mechanisms are so far unclear. In this article, we report that Abs against (1→6)-β-d-glucan, a typical microbial PAMP and a major target for high titer circulating natural Abs in healthy human subjects, cross-recognize a novel tumor-associated carbohydrate Ag on cancer cells. The (1→6)-β-glucan cross-reactive moiety is immunologically dominant in tumor cells, …Importantly, (1→6)-β-glucan-specific Abs significantly prolonged the survival and reduced the tumor size in mice inoculated with EL-4 tumors. [PMID: 24391208

TREATS Neoplasms

Int Immunopharmacol. 2009 Sep;9(10):1189-96. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2009.06.007. Epub 2009 Jun 30. Maitake beta-glucan enhances granulopoiesis and mobilization of granulocytes by increasing G-CSF production and modulating CXCR4/SDF-1 expression.Ito K1, Masuda Y, Yamasaki Y, Yokota Y, Nanba H.AbstractPrevious studies have presented that Maitake beta-glucan (MD-Fraction) extracted from the fruit body of Grifola frondosa has an anti-tumor effect by activating the immune system. Recently, the stimulating effects of beta-glucans on hematopoiesis were identified as new characteristics of polysaccharides, possibly helping to relieve the immunosuppression which results from chemotherapies. We demonstrated that the production of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was significantly enhanced by MD-Fraction (8mg/kg, i.p.) in granulocytopenic model induced in mice using cyclophosphamide (200mg/kg, i.p.). …This finding presents opportunities to develop new therapeutic strategies against the immunosuppression caused by chemotherapies in cancer patients. [PMID: 9573626]