Antigen-specific response of murine immune system toward a yeast beta-glucan preparation, zymosan

Zymosan, a particulate beta-glucan preparation from Saccharomyces cerevisia e, shows various biological activities, including anti-tumor activity. We h ave previously shown that soluble P-glucan initiated anti-tumor activity wa s long-lived and was effective even by prophylactic treatment at 1 month pr ior to tumor challenge. However, the activity by zymosan was relatively sho rt-lived. Antigen-specific responses of mice to zymosan might be a causativ e mechanism. In this paper, mice were immunized with zymosan and antibody p roduction and antigen-specific responses of lymphocytes to zymosan were ana lyzed. Sera of zymosan immune mice contained zymosan-specific IgG assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and FAGS. Spleen and bone marrow cells of zymosan-immune mice showed higher cytokine production in response to zy mosan. Specificity of zymosan-specific responses were also analyzed using v arious derivatives prepared from zymosan. These facts strongly suggested th at mice recognize zymosan as antigen in addition to non-specific immune sti mulant. (C) 1999 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Publishe d by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.