β-Glucans: Relationships between Modification, Conformation and Functional Activities
β-glucan is a type of polysaccharide which widely exists in bacteria, fungi, algae, and plants, and has been well known for its biological activities such as enhancing immunity, antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral, and wound healing activities. The conformation of β-glucan plays a crucial role on it...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2017-02-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/22/2/257 |
| _version_ | 1828378670381662208 |
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| author | Qiang Wang Xiaojing Sheng Aimin Shi Hui Hu Ying Yang Li Liu Ling Fei Hongzhi Liu |
| author_facet | Qiang Wang Xiaojing Sheng Aimin Shi Hui Hu Ying Yang Li Liu Ling Fei Hongzhi Liu |
| author_sort | Qiang Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | β-glucan is a type of polysaccharide which widely exists in bacteria, fungi, algae, and plants, and has been well known for its biological activities such as enhancing immunity, antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral, and wound healing activities. The conformation of β-glucan plays a crucial role on its biological activities. Therefore, β-glucans obtained from different sources, while sharing the same basic structures, often show different bioactivities. The basic structure and inter-molecular forces of polysaccharides can be changed by modification, which leads to the conformational transformation in solution that can directly affect bioactivity. In this review, we will first determine different ways to modify β-glucan molecules including physical methods, chemical methods, and biological methods, and then reveal the relationship of the flexible helix form of the molecule chain and the helix conformation to their bioactivities. Last, we summarize the scientific challenges to modifying β-glucan’s conformation and functional activity, and discuss its potential future development. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T08:30:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b1d9e1c844b94a54bfebdf63c20eb258 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T08:30:18Z |
| publishDate | 2017-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-b1d9e1c844b94a54bfebdf63c20eb2582022-12-22T02:03:56ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492017-02-0122225710.3390/molecules22020257molecules22020257β-Glucans: Relationships between Modification, Conformation and Functional ActivitiesQiang Wang0Xiaojing Sheng1Aimin Shi2Hui Hu3Ying Yang4Li Liu5Ling Fei6Hongzhi Liu7Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100193, ChinaInstitute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100193, ChinaInstitute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100193, ChinaInstitute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100193, ChinaInstitute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100193, ChinaInstitute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100193, ChinaCornell University, Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Ithaca, NY 14850, USAInstitute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100193, Chinaβ-glucan is a type of polysaccharide which widely exists in bacteria, fungi, algae, and plants, and has been well known for its biological activities such as enhancing immunity, antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral, and wound healing activities. The conformation of β-glucan plays a crucial role on its biological activities. Therefore, β-glucans obtained from different sources, while sharing the same basic structures, often show different bioactivities. The basic structure and inter-molecular forces of polysaccharides can be changed by modification, which leads to the conformational transformation in solution that can directly affect bioactivity. In this review, we will first determine different ways to modify β-glucan molecules including physical methods, chemical methods, and biological methods, and then reveal the relationship of the flexible helix form of the molecule chain and the helix conformation to their bioactivities. Last, we summarize the scientific challenges to modifying β-glucan’s conformation and functional activity, and discuss its potential future development.http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/22/2/257β-glucansmodificationconformation transformationfunctional activities |
| spellingShingle | Qiang Wang Xiaojing Sheng Aimin Shi Hui Hu Ying Yang Li Liu Ling Fei Hongzhi Liu β-Glucans: Relationships between Modification, Conformation and Functional Activities Molecules β-glucans modification conformation transformation functional activities |
| title | β-Glucans: Relationships between Modification, Conformation and Functional Activities |
| title_full | β-Glucans: Relationships between Modification, Conformation and Functional Activities |
| title_fullStr | β-Glucans: Relationships between Modification, Conformation and Functional Activities |
| title_full_unstemmed | β-Glucans: Relationships between Modification, Conformation and Functional Activities |
| title_short | β-Glucans: Relationships between Modification, Conformation and Functional Activities |
| title_sort | β glucans relationships between modification conformation and functional activities |
| topic | β-glucans modification conformation transformation functional activities |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/22/2/257 |
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