Pleuran is an insoluble polysaccharide

Polysaccharide

Polysaccharides are long carbohydrate molecules, of repeated monomer units joined together by glycosidic bonds. They range in structure from linear to highly branched. Polysaccharides are often quite heterogeneous, containing slight modifications of the repeating unit. Depending on the structure,...

 (β-(1,3/1,6)-D-glucan), isolated from Pleurotus ostreatus.

Pleuran belongs to a group of glucose

Glucose

Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...

 polymers commonly called beta-glucan

Beta-glucan

β-Glucans are polysaccharides of D-glucose monomers linked by β-glycosidic bonds. β-glucans are a diverse group of molecules that can vary with respect to molecular mass, solubility, viscosity, and three-dimensional configuration...

s demonstrating biological response modifier properties. These immunomodulating properties render the host more resistant to infections and neoplasms.

In a study published in December 2010, pleuran demonstrated to have a protective effect against exercise-induced suppression of immune cell activity (NK cells) in subjects taking 100 mg per day.

In another study published in 2011, pleuran reduced the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections and increased the number of circulating NK cells.

Pleuran is also being studied as a potential immunologic adjuvant

Immunologic adjuvant

In immunology, an adjuvant is an agent that may stimulate the immune system and increase the response to a vaccine, without having any specific antigenic effect in itself. The word “adjuvant” comes from the Latin word adiuvare, meaning to help or aid...

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