From: Immunomodulatory dietary polysaccharides: a systematic review of the literature
Extract | Source | Study design | Population | N (experimental/control) | Dose/day | Dura-tion | Significant effects | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arabino-galactans | Larix occidentalis | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled | Healthy adults | 8/15 | 4 g | 6 weeks | ↑ % CD8+ lymphocytes & blood lymphocyte proliferation | [18] |
Arabino-galactans (ResistAid™) |  |  | Healthy adults given pneumococcal vaccinations day 30 | 21/24 | 4.5 g | 72 days | ↑ plasma IgG subtypes | [19] |
Fucoidans | Undaria pinnatifida sporophylls | Randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled | Healthy adults | 25 (75% fucoidan, 6 (10% fucoidan)/6 | 3 g | 12 days | 75% fucoidan: ↓ #s blood leukocytes, lymphocytes' ↑ plasma stromal derived factor-1, IFN-γ, CD34+ cells; ↑ % CXCR4-expressing CD34+ cells | [21] |
Furanose extract (Cold-FX®) | Panax quinque-folium | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled | Healthy older adults given influenza immunization at the end of week 4 | 22/21 | 400 mg | 4 months | During weeks 9-16, ↓ incidence of acute respiratory illness, symptom duration | [20] |
Glucans | Agaricus subru-fescens | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled | Cervical, ovarian or endometrial cancer patients receiving 3 chemotherapy cycles | 39/61 | 5.4 g (estimated) | 6 weeks | ↑ NK cell activity, ↓ chemotherapy side effects | [64] |
Glucans (β-1,3;1,6) | Not identified | Placebo-controlled | Recurrent aphthous stomatitis patients | 31/42 | 20 mg | 20 days | ↑ PBL lymphocyte proliferation,↓ Ulcer Severity Scores | [48] |
Glucans (β-1,3;1-6) | S. cerevisiae | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled | Adults with seasonal allergic rhinitis | 12/12 | 20 mg | 12 weeks | 30 minutes after nasal allergen provocation test, nasal lavage fluid: ↓ IL-4, IL-5, % eosinophils, ↑ IL-12 | [47] |
Glucans (PSK) | Trametes versicolor | Randomized, controlled | Patients with curatively resected colorectal cancer receiving chemotherapy | 221/227 | 200 mg | 3-5 years | ↑ disease-free survival and overall survival | [56] |
 |  | Controlled | Post-surgical colon cancer patients receiving chemotherapy | 123/121 | 3 g for 4 weeks, alternating with 10 4-week courses of chemo-therapy | 7 years | ↑ survival from cancer deaths; no difference in disease-free or overall survival | [57] |
 |  |  | Post-surgical colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy | 137/68 | 3 g daily | 2 years | ↑survival in stage III patients; ↓ recurrence in stage II & III patients | [58] |
 |  |  | Post-surgical gastric cancer patients receiving chemotherapy | 124/129 | 3 g for 4 weeks, alternating with 10 4-week courses of chemo-therapy | 5-7 years | ↑ 5-year disease-free survival rate, overall 5-year survival | [59] |
 |  |  | Pre-surgical gastric or colorectal cancer patients | 16 daily; 17 every other day/13 | 3 g daily or on alternate days before surgery | <14 days or 14-36 days | ≥14 day treatment: ↑ peripheral blood NK cell activity, PBL cytotoxicity, proportion of PBL helper cells; ↓ proportion of PBL inducer cells; <14 day treatment: ↑ PBL response to PSK and Con A, proportion of regional node lymphocyte suppressor cells | [62] |
 |  | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled | Post-surgical stage III-IV colorectal cancer patients | 56/55 | 3 g for 2 months, 2 g for 22 months, 1 g thereafter | 8-10 years | ↑ remission & survival rates | [61] |
 |  | Controlled | Post-surgical stage III gastric cancer patients receiving chemotherapy | 32/21 | 3 g | 1 year | ↑ survival time | [60] |
Glucans (PSP) | Trametes versicolor | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled | Conventionally-treated stage III-IV non-small cell lung cancer patients | 34/34 | 3.06 g | 1 month | ↑ blood IgG & IgM, total leukocyte and neutrophil counts, % body fat; ↓ patient withdrawal due to disease progression | [63] |