Vitamin C and Ganoderma β-glucans on the Immune System
There is a growing interest in knowing nutritional tools available to professionals for the management of the modulation of the immune system of the human body. Today we focus on the potential beneficial effects on the immune system attributed to food products composed of β-glucans (Ganoderma lucidum) and / or Vitamin C. We will demonstrate the results obtained in different studies with the intake of these components on the immune system, as well such as the specific effect on immune markers such as interleukins, lymphocytes, Natural Killer cells and leukocytes. Both vitamin C and β-glucans seem to show efficacy on the immune system in various studies, especially together, but more studies are needed.
Ganoderma lucidum
It has been considered an ancient mushroom with multiple benefits for human health. Such attributes have been given thanks to the study of its composition, since more than 100 types of triterpenoid compounds, polysaccharides have been found. The literature focused on the benefits and mechanisms of action of β-glucans derived from Ganoderma lucidum was reviewed, finding that these are polysaccharides with beta 1,3 1,6 bonds with a wide range of molecular weights, for which different cells of the immune system would have receptors and in this way they would bind to them to enhance their function or keep them more alert. The use of this type of compound as an ingredient in the development of functional foods is seen as an opportunity to favor vulnerable populations such as early childhood or the elderly. The effects of this type of ingredient on the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory properties of food must be explored to contribute to the development of this type of functional food with an immunomodulatory effect.
β-glucans from Ganoderma lucidum
More than 200 polysaccharides have been isolated from the fruiting bodies, spores, mycelia and culture broths of Ganoderma lucidum, which represent a class of structurally diverse biological macromolecules with broad physicochemical properties with a great capacity to transport biological information due to their structural variability. . The method for extracting β-glucans from Ganoderma lucidum can be: the biotechnological method for obtaining β-glucans in which an inoculum is started and it is biotransformed in submerged culture under controlled conditions of pH, substrate, temperature to promote the specific production of these metabolites.
Β-glucans are polysaccharides linked by glycosidic bonds, which can vary greatly according to molecular mass, solubility, size, types of bonds and three-dimensional configuration. They are usually found in the cell wall of plants (oats, barley), yeasts, fungi. Polysaccharides such as β-Glucans, heteropolysaccharides and glycoproteins have been isolated and characterized as those with the highest activity in Ganoderma lucidum. High molecular weight glucans appear to be more effective than low molecular weight glucans. More than 200 polysaccharides have been isolated from Ganoderma lucidum.
Modern pharmaceutical research shows that Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides have various health and physiological effects, including antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and anti-tumor activity. Among the main polysaccharides isolated from Ganoderma lucidum are: polysaccharides with β-D 1-3 bonds, β-D 1-6, heteroglycans with β-1-4 bonds, and peptidoglycans (Ganoderan A, B, and C). Different polysaccharides from Ganoderma lucidum could be produced according to the substrate that the fungus has in the fermentation medium. A study that used soybean curd residue as a substrate characterized different types of polysaccharides which, depending on their structure, molecular weight, conformation, including mycelium culture conditions, could have greater or lesser biological activity, either as antioxidant and / or immunostimulator. . The main bioactive polysaccharides isolated from Ganoderma species are glucans, beta- (1,3) and beta- (1,6) -D-Glucans. When glucans are consumed, they can be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and then enter the circulation to influence the systemic immune system.
Various antitumor and immunomodulatory activities have been reported since the 1960s and extensive studies on the antitumor effect have recently been conducted, especially polysaccharides alone and protein-bound. Polysaccharides, especially β-glucans, have been shown to possess anti-tumor effects through immunomodulation and anti-angiogenesis. Additionally, polysaccharides have a protective effect against free radicals reducing cell damage caused by mutagens. In this way, they could also have potential as natural antioxidants in the food and pharmaceutical industry.
Vitamin C
L-ascorbic acid or vitamin C is an electron donor that contributes to the prevention of oxidative damage. This mechanism is beneficial in human diseases such as atherosclerosis (through the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins), type 2 diabetes (through oxidative stress in the beta cell) and cancer (through the repair mechanism of DNA and damage related to DNA oxidation). In addition, L-ascorbic acid is essential for collagen and L-carnitine biosynthesis (important for membrane integrity during pregnancy and for the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine).
The body needs vitamin C for normal physiological functions. It helps you in the synthesis and metabolism of tyrosine, folic acid and tryptophan, the hydroxylation of glycine, proline, lysine, carnitine and catecholamines. It also increases the absorption of iron in the intestine by reducing the ferric to the ferrous state. As an antioxidant, it protects the body from various harmful effects such as free radicals, pollutants and toxins, which play an important role for the immune system. Vitamin C, therefore, is thought to enhance immune function, but the mechanisms involved are still obscure.
Vitamin C and β-Glucans
Effects on Lymphocytes and Natural Killer
Plasma vitamin C and leukocyte concentrations decrease rapidly during infections and stress. Vitamin C supplementation appears to enhance components of the human immune system, such as Natural Killer (NK) cell and antimicrobial activities, T-lymphocyte proliferation, delayed-type chemotaxis and hypersensitivity, increased cytokine production, and the synthesis of immunoglobulins. Vitamin C contributes to the maintenance of the oxidative state of the cells and thus protects them against Occupational Respiratory Diseases generated during the respiratory burst and in the inflammatory response. Jeong and Holmannova observed that vitamin C inhibited excessive activation of the immune system to prevent tissue damage, which also aided in antibacterial activity and stimulated NK cells. On the other hand, Manning also supported that vitamin C deficiency leads to a variety of clinical problems, including immunodeficiency. They showed an innovative model of vitamin C-dependent T-cell maturation in vitro, which also showed that epigenetic regulation of gene expression is a likely mechanism by which vitamin C intervenes in immunological effects. Several studies described, in addition to vitamin C, how 1,3 β-glucan improves the immune system by enhancing the ability of macrophages, neutrophils and NK to act. Furthermore, it could be that β-glucan could have a positive effect as a radioprotective drug for chemotherapy, radiotherapy and nuclear emergencies. With joint action of β-glucans and vitamin C, Bobovčák published in 2010 a randomized controlled trial involving a sample of 20 athletes, assigned over a period of 2 months, to a group was administered (100 mg β-glucans of Ganoderma lucidum and 100 mg of vitamin C), to the other only placebo, evaluating whether the supplementation of β-glucan had effects on the immune system in high intensity exercise in the short term. A 28% reduction in cellular NK activity was observed in the placebo group during the recovery period from exercise, while no significant reduction in cellular NK activity was found in the group that ingested β-glucan and vitamin C. Similarly, Bergendiova published in 2011 a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial that involved a sample of 50 high-level athletes (23-24 years), assigned over a period of 3 months to an intervention group (200 mg β-glucans from Ganoderma lucidum and 200 mg of vitamin C) or to a placebo group (only 200 mg of vitamin C). There was a decrease in the incidence of symptoms associated with upper respiratory tract infections and the number of NK cells increased. Pillai tried to investigate the protective properties of β-glucans of fungal origin (Ganoderma lucidum) on the DNA of human lymphocytes. The results indicated that Ganoderma lucidum β-glucans possessed significant radioprotective activity with DNA repair capacity and antioxidant activity. Moreira published in 2007 a meta-analysis in which they evaluated the potential effect of various micronutrients, including vitamin C, on the modulation of exercise-induced immunosuppression, which involved 45 studies with a total sample of 1,603 athletes. Thirteen studies performed only with vitamin C supplementation were recovered. Although the studies showed a trend towards the prevention of upper respiratory tract disorders and a slowdown in the decrease in lymphocytes after physical exercise.
In conclusion, the β-glucans derived from Ganoderma lucidum have been extensively evaluated demonstrating their positive effect as modulators of the immune system, which makes them a potential ingredient to be included in functional foods and pharmaceutical products.
Taking vitamin C appears to stimulate Natural Killer cells and slow down lymphocyte decline after exercise. Vitamin C could also contribute to the improvement of neutrophil chemotaxis and accelerate the recovery process from infections. Vitamin C, taken together with β-glucans, could reduce the frequency of respiratory tract infections and play a role in urinary tract infections. The ingestion of β-glucans is believed to improve the activity capacity of macrophages, neutrophils and NK cells, as well as having radioprotective and antioxidant activity. Administered together, they appear to decrease the incidence of respiratory infections and increase the number of NK cells. The β-glucans could also modulate the immune response, helping to increase the leukocyte response, thus producing inflammation mediators. Finally, the contribution of β-glucans seems to produce a change in the serum level of interleukins in patients with breast cancer, thus suggesting a complementary therapy and an immunomodulatory agent.
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