Hypolipidemic Effects of β-Glucans, Mannans, and Fucoidans: Mechanism of Action and Their Prospects for Clinical Application

Abstract

The search for lipid-lowering drugs is important for clinical medicine. This review summarizes our research findings regarding the hypolipidemic activity of polysaccharides. There are several validated agents altering lipid levels which reduce the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular events. Nonetheless, for many people, the risk of such an event remains unacceptably high despite treatment with these agents. This situation has prompted the search for new therapies to reduce the residual cardiovascular risk. The lipid-lowering effect of β-glucans consumed with food was demonstrated in patients with atherosclerosis. The mechanism of the protective effect of β-glucans is poorly studied. The effects of β-glucans are mediated by Toll-like receptors, by dectin-1, and possibly by other receptors. Nevertheless, the mechanism of the protective action of β-glucan in lipemic mice has been studied insufficiently. This review will present up-to-date information regarding experimental hypolipidemic polysaccharide compounds that hold promise for medicine. Phagocyte-specific chitotriosidase in humans contributes to innate immune responses against chitin-containing fungi. This enzyme has been first described in patients with Gaucher disease and serves as an important diagnostic biomarker. It has been reported that, in mice, chitin particles of certain size are recognized by macrophages through Toll-like receptors, dectin-1, and to a lesser extent through mannose receptor.

Therapeutic effects of different doses of prebiotic (isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in comparison to n-3 supplement on glycemic control, lipid profiles and immunological response in diabetic rats

“…Consistent with our results, another meta-analysis of clinical trials showed that β-glucan has a lowering effect on LDLc, non-HDLc and apoB [26]. Although oat and yeast β-glucans have some chemical differences, a previous study showed that as long as the purity of β-glucan is high, there is no difference among the sources of β-glucans [43,80].…”

Synergetic Action of Forskolin and Mevastatin Induce Normalization of Lipids Profile in Dyslipidemic Rats through Adenosine Monophosphate Kinase Upregulation

“…The dyslipidemic rat model was generated using Triton WR 1339. The agent was widely used to study the lipid metabolism status in experimental animals and did not involve inducing great dramatic changes in blood parameters and has minor side effects and is the model of choice when study lipid profile [ 19 ]. Serum cholesterol and triglycerides were elevated in the sera of experimental rats after a single dose of Triton WR 1339 ( Table 3 ).…”

“…Serum cholesterol and triglycerides were elevated in the sera of experimental rats after a single dose of Triton WR 1339 ( Table 3 ). Records proved that the normalization usually occurred after 10 days after the administration of treatment agents [ 19 ]. The importance of such a study come to introduce a base of elucidation for the ability of FSK to normalize lipid profile and stimulate lipolysis, especially in omental adipose.…”

“…Dyslipidemia is induced by a single dose (500 mg/kg, i.p) of nonionic detergent Triton WR 1339. Triton WR 1339 is a nonionic detergent isooctylpolyoxyethylene phenol, with common formula (C14H22O.C2H4O.CH2O) [ 19 ]. The dyslipidemia is confirmed through the given results in Table 1 .…”

Influence of Oat β-Glucan on the Survival and Proteolytic Activity of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in Milk Fermentation: Optimization by Response Surface

“…The β-glucans from cereals, mainly from barley and oats, have been considered as prebiotics [7,8], and the consumption of these compounds has been related to health benefits [9]. In addition to the fact that these compounds are part of the functional dietary fibers, their fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract could be the origin of those benefits [10][11][12][13]. However, the main importance is that they directly affect both the growth of probiotic microorganisms and the activation of their proteolytic system [14][15][16].…”