Curdlan, zymosan and a yeast-derived ?-glucan reshape tumor-associated macrophages into producers of inflammatory chemo-attractants.

ABSTRACT: Anti-cancer T-cell responses are often halted due to the immune-suppressive micro-environment, in part related to tumor-associated macrophages. In the current study, we assessed indigestible ?-glucans (oat?G, curdlan, grifolan, schizophyllan, lentinan, yeast whole glucan particles (yWGP), zymosan and two additional yeast-derived ?-glucans a and b) for their physicochemical properties as well as their effects on the plasticity of human monocyte-derived macrophages that were polarized with IL-4 to immune-suppressive macrophages. Beta-glucans were LPS/LTA free, and tested for solubility, molecular masses, protein and monosaccharide contents. Curdlan, yeast-b and zymosan re-polarized M(IL-4) macrophages towards an M1-like phenotype, in particular showing enhanced gene expression of CCR7, ICAM1 and CD80, and secretion of TNF-? and IL-6. Notably, differential gene expression, pathway analysis as well as protein expressions demonstrated that M(IL-4) macrophages treated with curdlan, yeast-b or zymosan demonstrated enhanced production of chemo-attractants, such as CCL3, CCL4, and CXCL8, which contribute to recruitment of monocytes and neutrophils. The secretion of chemo-attractants was confirmed when using patient-derived melanoma-infiltrating immune cells. Taken together, the bacterial-derived curdlan as well as the yeast-derived ?-glucans yeast-b and zymosan have the unique ability to preferentially skew macrophages towards a chemo-attractant-producing phenotype that may aid in anti-cancer immune responses.

SUBMITTER: de Graaff P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7889676 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature