Nature's Impact
Feature Story: Beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan: The Skin Connection,

By Leonid Ber, MD

 

Beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan is a polysaccharide that has recently become available as a dietary supplement. It is derived from the cell walls of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) and is known as a potent macrophage activator. It works through beta-glucan receptor on the surface of these cells.

Macrophages ("big eaters") are the cells that recognize, engulf and destroy any cells, organisms and substances that don?t belong to the body (bacteria; viruses; fungi; bits of necrosed or changed tissues; dead, mutated or tumor cells; heavy metals; etc.). Unlike other immune cells, macrophages act non-specifically. In other words they respond similarly no matter what kind of challenge they face. Macrophages are the cells that start and regulate the immune process. They ignite intercellular communication via release of chemical messengers called cytokines (such as interleukins, growth factors, colony-stimulating factors, and interferons). Macrophages can travel from the site of the first contact with bacteria (or other intruders) to the lymph tissues. This is where the macrophage communicates with T-cells, activating a specific immune response and building specific antibodies to combat this specific intruder.

 

Langerhans Cells

Macrophages are present in all the organs of our body including blood, liver, nervous tissue and skin. We used to think of skin as an outer shield. In actuality, skin is the largest immune-system organ in our body. Its upper layer, epidermis, contains up to 5 percent of macrophages or Langerhans cells, the primary cells of the immune system. These cells owe their name to a 19th-century German anatomist and microscopist, Paul Langerhans. (He also discovered so-called "Islets of Langerhans" in the pancreas, which are the insulin-producing areas of this endocrine organ.)

Macrophages in the epidermis have a very special appearance. Each cell has a body and long-reaching extensions of cytoplasm. Because of these extensions, Langerhans cells literally form a fishnet within the upper layer of the skin, reaching most of the skin cells. The role of Langerhans cells within the epidermis is extremely important. They carry out defensive and regulating functions within the skin. As with any macrophage, Langerhans cells are initially manufactured in the bone marrow. After being released from the bone marrow, it becomes a monocytes (blood macrophages). Later, they enter the skin through the capillaries and become a specialized epidermal macrophages - Langerhans cell. Langerhans cells play a key role in maintaining the integrity of the skin. The skin constantly faces microscopic wounds, so it needs to repair itself on an ongoing basis. When the skin is damaged, macrophages are responsible for cleaning and restoring it. Some individual?s skin is almost permanently damaged as a result of occupational exposure. This may include daily household exposure to the chemicals in cleansers and detergents. As we age, as the immune system?s ability to respond to the new challenges declines. The skin becomes less able to heal itself and cope with infections. Macrophages, when activated, can prevent or stop growth of infectious agents by attacking and destroying bacteria. At the same time, macrophages can release substances such as the epidermal growth factor, that encourages skin renewal. Therefore it is important to have macrophages (Langerhans cells) fully functional in the skin, especially aged skin. Beta-1, /1,6-D-glucan appears to be a substance that activates and supports all these macrophage functions.

 

Beta-1,3/1,6-D-Glucan In Skin Care

The effect of a cosmetic regimen containing beta-1,3/1,6-glucan on the signs of aging in the skin was evaluated in 150 women, ages 35 to 60. A 27 percent improvement in skin hydration was observed after eight weeks of using the regimen twice a day. A measurable improvement in lines and wrinkles at the end of the study reached 47 percent, firmness and elasticity increased by 60 percent and skin color improved by 26 percent. Skin renewal was increased by 34 percent compared to the control group. The cosmetic products (serum and cream) containing this powerful ingredient at a concentration of 10 mg per ounce were applied after use of an exfoliating toner containing salicylic acid. Use of an exfoliator prior to beta-glucan application was important. It removed the very superficial layer of the dead skin, thereby exposing more Langerhans cell extensions to this ingredient. While other ingredients are thought to be effective only when they penetrate the skin, glucan is actively taken into the cells. Plenty of exfoliating products on the market today contain either alpha, beta- or a combination of hydroxy acids. When used at certain high concentrations, these acids can produce a significant irritation. Beta-1,3-D-glucan significantly reduces such irritation; it produces fast and powerful healing effects on the chemically stripped skin.

 

UV-Light and Beta-1,3/1,6-D-Glucan

Langerhans cells in the epidermis are very sensitive to environmental factors. One of the factors that can damage these cells function is ultraviolet (UV) light. We know that UV light can suppress immune function. In fact, UV light has been used to treat certain autoimmune skin diseases. After even a brief exposure to UV light, the skin loses some Langerhans cells. This may explain at least partially how UV light undermines the immune system. When the first cell in the immune reaction chain is not in place, the rest of the immune system has trouble functioning. Lack of immune protection means a higher rate of infections and tumors. Investigators at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston suggested that conventional sunscreens, while reducing sunburn, do not provide adequate protection from certain skin tumors, including melanoma. Between 1973 and 1992, despite wider use of sunscreens, mortality from melanoma increased 34 percent - the third highest increase of all cancers. The effect of UV light on occurrence of other types of tumors is also suspected. Immunosuppression caused by UV radiation affects the whole body. It can even be measured in remote parts of the body that have not been exposed to the radiation. How does UV cause Langerhans cells to disappear? UV light creates an enormous amount of free radicals within the skin cells. Eventually, these free radicals can damage the healthy cells irreparably. An arsenal of intracellular antioxidants provides only partial protection. Melanin, a potent free-radical scavenger and photoprotector, is produced by specialized cells called melanocytes. Melanin is also responsible for the color of tanned skin. When melanocytes synthesize and release melanin, it is distributed throughout the skin and becomes incorporated into the epidermal cells, but not into Langerhans cells. This is why even in tanned skin, UV-light exposure still causes the disappearance of Langerhans cells and, consequently, suppresses immune function. Experiments with beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan indicate that it protects Langerhans cells after UV-exposure. In this study, a 0.05 percent external application of beta-1,3-D-glucan prevented redness of the skin, skin cell damage and depletion of Langerhans cells by more than 50 percent. This remarkable effect would be easy to explain if beta-glucan was a sunscreening agent. Sunscreens do protect skin cells by absorbing the UV-rays; however, beta-glucan is not a UV-absorbing substance! A specific receptor on the extensions of the Langerhans cells recognize and then internalize beta-1,3-D-glucan. As a result, Langerhans cells become activated and more resistant to damage. When in the cytoplasm, beta-glucan also becomes a free radical scavenger, especially effective against hydroxyl radical - the most abundant free radical after UV-radiation. This combination of cell activation and free-radical scavenging ability allows protection of vulnerable Langerhans cells from the effects of UV-radiation. This helps these cells continue their important defensive and regulating functions in the skin. Eventually, they can reduce the risks of UV-related immunosuppression. Researchers agree that certain types of UV light (UVA) are more damaging to the immune system although they cause less sunburn. Modern FDA-approved sunscreen strength is measured by its ability to prevent redness (so called SPF, sun-protecting factor), which is generated mostly by the UVB spectrum. Unfortunately, even if sunscreen prevents sunburn, it doesn?t necessarily protects immune function. Immunosuppression is the major culprit in tumor development. When buying a sunscreen - make sure that it protects against both UVB and UVA parts of the spectrum. You can also enhance the photoprotective effect of sunscreens by using a substance that specifically addresses your skin?s immune system. Presumably, a sunscreen and beta-glucan combination would be your best choice. UV light is thought to be only one of many environmental agents that can alter Langerhans cell function. Infection with viruses, notably HIV and viral hepatitis, can "turn off" Langerhans cells. A study by Kenyon (1983) showed that chronic viral infections were associated with impaired wound-healing capability. This impairment could be overcome by placing the macrophage-stimulating glucan into the wounds.

 

Wound-Healing Properties

The wound-healing ability of beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan in general has been firmly established. One study tested several topical agents, and only glucan showed any marked beneficial effect. Twenty mg of beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan was applied per each one cm incision. Glucan-treated wounds resulted in a higher number of macrophages. Hence, re-epithelization (formation of new surface layer tissue) started earlier in the glucan-treated wounds than in the control subjects. Five days after wounding, glucan-treated wounds were generally completely re-epithelized. Completely scar-free healing occurring within 10 days. Control groups during the same 10 day period were still in some stages of tissue restructuring. When beta-glucan was used as a salve for chest wall ulcers following surgery and irradiation for breast cancer, these ulcers were healed with no sign of infection. Beta-glucan was applied to the indolent (inactive) pressure ulcers of 31 patients with indolent pressure ulcers were treated with the topical application of beta-glucan at the Charity Hospital in New Orleans. During this short, five-day study, an overall 73.3 percent of ulcers decreased in size and showed significant improvement. As many as 26.7 percent of glucan-treated wounds closed completely with the formation of smooth, normal-appearing skin.

 

Beta-Glucan And Melanoma

Aside from its external use, researchers have investigated the injectable application of glucan into skin tumors. Dr. Peter Mansell conducted the first series of injections of beta-glucan into small swellings beneath the skin of patients with malignant melanoma. He used dosages of the active ingredient in a range from 10 to 100 mg per injection. Dr. Mansell found that a mass of activated macrophages had replaced the malignant nodules. Beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan has been known to attract macrophages. More activated macrophages appeared at the site of injection and continued attacking melanoma cells. the macrophages also kept recruiting other immune cells, thus promoting healing and replacement with normal tissue. In certain human and animal cases, uninjected nodules of melanoma also disappeared. In some cases, tumor growth in remote parts of the body was controlled during this therapy, but the growth started again once the treatment ended. This data confirms the fact that the skin macrophages are intimately involved in entire immune system function.

 

Summary

Beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan is a polysaccharide that consists of specifically arranged glucose molecules. This ingredient activates macrophages cells, thus promoting a more powerful immune system. Aside from being effective orally (not a subject of this article), beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan can also be externally applied for good results. The benefits include skin rejuvenation, prevention and treatment of UV-related skin damage and wound healing. Additionally, beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan may be injected into certain types of skin tumors. However, this use - although shown to be effective almost 20 years ago - has not been widely utilized.

As a short-term, "first aid" way to resolve heartburn, the ingredients in Acid Ease are well chosen to produce relief. The enzymes included in Acid Ease are amylase (to digest carbohydrates), lipase (to digest fats), and cellulase (to digest plant fibers). Normally, we get our enzymes, depending on the type, from foods, the pancreas, and body cells.

With a healthy diet, the foods we eat contain enzymes which start digesting foods in the stomach. But a poor diet or overcooking food means the pancreas has to supply enzymes for digestion. This eventually leads to enzyme depletion. If your system is deficient in any of the key digestive enzymes or if their activity is blocked by other factors, adding additional enzymes to your system at the time of eating can help put the digestive process back on track.

Acid Ease's enzymes are derived from a fungal source (Aspergillus oryzae, the fungus used to ferment the soybeans in miso). Research suggests that in some cases fungal enzymes may perform better than those derived from plants. The enzymes in Acid Ease are active in a wide range of stomach conditions, from hyperacidity to high alkalinity, making them effective throughout the digestive tract, according to the makers of Acid Ease.

The efficacy of gamma oryzanol, a naturally occurring component of rice bran oil extract, has been evaluated by at least 23 studies, which tested it for benefits on gastrointestinal disorders, such as ulcers, gastritis, nausea, abdominal pain, and heartburn. A Japanese study involving patients at 375 hospitals rated gamma oryzanol 90% effective in reducing gastrointestinal distress; dosages of 300-600 mg daily were given for an average of three weeks to produce these benefits.

Animal studies show that gamma oryzanol stimulates the autonomic nervous system (which automatically controls heart rate, breathing, and digestion) to normalize gastrin secretion (as regulated by the vagus nerve) in the stomach. The substance can also inhibit the secretion of stomach acid. In other words, gamma oryzanol helps to rebalance this aspect of the nervous system. It also appears to protect the mucosal lining of the stomach against ulcer formation.

Acid Ease's two herbal ingredients are slippery elm and marshmallow. Among traditional herbalists, the inner bark of the slippery elm tree is widely used to soothe irritation of the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines. Marshmallow and slippery elm both contain a large amount of mucilage, a gelatinous substance similar to a plant gum that enables the herbs to produce soothing effects in cases of inflammation and membrane irritation (as in heartburn). Traditional herbalists cite marshmallow's ability to ease inflammation in the alimentary canal.

Acid Ease users (informally consulted) report that it produces excellent results within 15 to 20 minutes of taking 1-2 capsules for heartburn. In addition, there is a noticeable calming of the nervous system, producing a highly relaxed state.

 

Anticancer Botanicals that Work Supportively with Chemotherapy
Coriolus Versicolor-Over 400 clinical studies published in Japan since the 1970s have shown that a purified extract from the mushroom Coriolus Versicolor has strong benefits to the immune system when given alone or with conventional chemotherapy or radiation treatments for cancer. Known as polysaccharide K, or PSK, by researchers, this mushroom extract was selected as the best out of 200 that were originally screened by Japanese researchers for antitumor activity in 1971.

???? Probably the most impressive demonstration of PSK's antitumor function came in 1990 when the results of a ten-year clinical trial involving colon cancer patients were announced. In this Japanese study, 56 patients began taking PSK daily after having undergone surgery for cancer of the colon and rectum. Over a period of 13 years, the patients returned to the administering clinic-six hospitals were involved-about once every three months for evaluation.

According to lead researcher, Motomichi Torisu, M.D., of Kyushu University School of Medicine in Fukuoka, the survival rate of these patients was "significantly higher" than that of the 55 patients in the placebo group. Dr. Torisu also reported that certain crucial immune cells (leukocytes) showed "remarkable enhancement" in their activities, indicating a widespread immune-stimulating benefit. Dr. Torisu described PSK as a useful maintenance therapy for patients recovering from cancer surgery.

Many of the PSK studies from Japan have evaluated its performance as an immune-stimulator when used as an adjunct to various types of chemotherapy or radiation. Based on a ten-year study involving 227 women with operable breast cancer, researchers at the Gunma University School of Medicine in Gunma, Japan, concluded that using PSK as part of an immuno-chemotherapy program (involving five chemotherapy agents) "improved the prognosis of patients" with cancers of this type. It also produced better results than chemotherapy given alone.

The researchers suggested that PSK seemed to protect the immune system's activity from being suppressed by the chemotherapy drugs and by the toxic processes of the cancer itself. Another ten-year study of 185 patients with lung cancer showed that combining PSK with radiation therapy produced "satisfactory" tumor shrinkage and better survival rates for stage I (39%) and II (22%) cancers compared with 16% and 5%, respectively, for those not receiving this combination.

Similar benefits were observed in using PSK (this time, alone) with patients with gastrointestinal cancer. In this study, 29 patients with gastric and 18 with colorectal cancer were divided into two groups. Those in the PSK group received 3 g of PSK orally before surgery, either daily or every second day; patients in the control group took no PSK.

In those receiving PSK for only two weeks, researchers noted a significantly stronger response of the patients' immune cells (lymphocytes), whereas in those patients taking PSK for more than two weeks, the principal benefit seemed to be a strong increase in the cytotoxicity (cancer cell-killing ability) of immune cells. In both cases, it was clear that taking PSK orally produced marked benefits in the immune system's response to cancer.

PSK has also been used successfully in conjunction with chemotherapy to produce remissions and extend survival time in cases of leukemia. The average length of complete remission for 14 leukemia patients receiving this combination was 36 weeks compared to 25 weeks for patients receiving only chemotherapy. The average survival time from diagnosis for the group receiving the combination was 21 months compared to only 12 for those on chemotherapy alone.

Finally, a study involving 262 patients with gastric cancer also confirmed PSK's ability to enhance the anticancer effects of chemotherapy drugs. PSK given with chemotherapy improved the five-year disease-free rate (70% compared to 59% in a conventionally treated group).

According to John Seleen, general manager for JHS Natural Products which markets PSK as Coriolus Versicolor, the product also provides immune-enhancing benefits for AIDS, hepatitis, herpes, general immune suppression, and post-surgical recovery. Seleen notes that a typical daily dosage of 3 g requires taking five Coriolus Versicolor capsules (625 mg each), in divided dosages between morning and evening.

PC Spes(r)-The name of this new herbal anticancer product means "prostate cancer hope"-Spes is Latin for "hope." It contains eight herbs known to produce benefits to the immune system and, in the case of saw palmetto, to the prostate specifically.

While PC Spes is a new product and few studies yet exist demonstrating its clinical benefits, early reports from physicians using this herbal formula for prostate cancer are promising. The other herbs in PC Spes, primarily derived from classical Chinese herbology, include chrysanthemum (sedative and antitoxic effects), Isatis indigotica (antibacterial, cools the blood), licorice (anti-inflammatory), Ganoderma lucidum (a mushroom, immunostimulant), pseudo-ginseng (pain relief), rubescens (for tumors), and scute (Scutellaria baicalensis, removes toxins).

According to prostate cancer survivor James Lewis, Jr., Ph.D., PC Spes may be able to extend the lives of patients with prostate cancer. It may be especially effective in extending life in cases of serious prostate cancer for those patients who have failed to respond to conventional hormone therapy, says Dr. Lewis. As Dr. Lewis explains, chemist Sophie Chen, Ph.D., and colleagues carefully selected organically cultivated herbs known to enhance the immune system, strengthen the activities of the nervous and hormonal systems, and resolve infections and inflammations.

The exact mechanism by which PC Spes produces anticancer benefits is not yet known, but some physicians are starting to observe its life-extending and hormone-balancing effects in patients with advanced prostate cancer. It's estimated that 90% of prostate cancer patients reach a point when they can no longer tolerate conventional hormone therapy and develop "hormonally refractive disease." As chemotherapy destroys healthy immune cells, many conventional physicians try to avoid this as long as possible, and need some other therapy to "buy" more time for the prostate cancer patient, Dr. Lewis explains.

In New Guidelines for Surviving Prostate Cancer, Dr. Lewis and coauthor E. Roy Berger, M.D., present case reports showing how PC Spes can help reduce prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels when used in conjunction with conventional cancer treatments.

Lewis and Berger cite the case of Lyle, aged 74, who, after 42 months of conventional treatment for prostate cancer, still had a PSA of 136. When he took 2,700 mg daily of PC Spes, his PSA dropped to 61. Another patient, aged 52, had fluctuating PSA levels during and after conventional treatment (including radiation and surgery). Four weeks after taking PC Spes daily, his PSA dropped from 40 to 20, then after three more weeks, it dropped to 9.

In general, Lewis and Berger suggest that prostate cancer patients might benefit from using PC Spes in terms of lowering their PSA levels or enhancing the effectiveness of hormone therapy. They caution that PC Spes is not necessarily a viable therapy for all prostate cancer patients and that, until further research is conducted, patients should "avoid using it as a definitive treatment" and consult their physician when combining it with any other supplements.