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INHALATION OF (1 ®3)-
b-D-glucan
IN HUMANS
L Beijer,
Ph.D., J Thorn, M.D., R Rylander, M.D.
Department of Environmental
Medicine, Göteborg University, Gothenburg, Sweden; Correspondence to: Lena
Beijer, Department of Environmental Medicine, Box 414, 405 30 Gothenburg,
Sweden, Tel +46 31773 3614, Fax +46 80 5004, E-mail lena.beijer@envmed.gu.se
Abstract
Fourteen persons living in
houses with levels of airborne glucan of at least 4 ng/m3
(G-high) and 14 subject living in houses with levels of airborne glucan of
less than 3 ng/m3 (G-low), were exposed to grifolan suspended in
saline as well as to saline alone. Comparing the groups before exposure
showed that the G-high group had an increased TNFa secretion from the blood
mononuclear cells and a lower number of cytotoxic T cells in blood compared
to the G-low group. These results suggest that persons living in homes with
higher levels of glucan (indicator for molds) show changes in the
inflammatory and immunological system. The inhalation exposure to saline
induced an increase in the secretion of TNFa, IFNg and IL-10 in PHA-stimulated
blood mononuclear cells, while the exposure to the combination of glucan and
saline abrogated the saline effect. This downregulation of the saline
induced inflammation by glucan is in accordance with previous results in
animals exposed to endotoxin and glucan.
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