Mechanism by which orally administered beta-1,3-glucans enhance the tumoricidal activity of antitumor monoclonal antibodies in murine tumor models

J Immunol. 2004 Jul 15;173(2):797-806. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.173.2.797.

Abstract

Antitumor mAb bind to tumors and activate complement, coating tumors with iC3b. Intravenously administered yeast beta-1,3;1,6-glucan functions as an adjuvant for antitumor mAb by priming the inactivated C3b (iC3b) receptors (CR3; CD11b/CD18) of circulating granulocytes, enabling CR3 to trigger cytotoxicity of iC3b-coated tumors. Recent data indicated that barley beta-1,3;1,4-glucan given orally similarly potentiated the activity of antitumor mAb, leading to enhanced tumor regression and survival. This investigation showed that orally administered yeast beta-1,3;1,6-glucan functioned similarly to barley beta-1,3;1,4-glucan with antitumor mAb. With both oral beta-1,3-glucans, a requirement for iC3b on tumors and CR3 on granulocytes was confirmed by demonstrating therapeutic failures in mice deficient in C3 or CR3. Barley and yeast beta-1,3-glucan were labeled with fluorescein to track their oral uptake and processing in vivo. Orally administered beta-1,3-glucans were taken up by macrophages that transported them to spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow. Within the bone marrow, the macrophages degraded the large beta-1,3-glucans into smaller soluble beta-1,3-glucan fragments that were taken up by the CR3 of marginated granulocytes. These granulocytes with CR3-bound beta-1,3-glucan-fluorescein were shown to kill iC3b-opsonized tumor cells following their recruitment to a site of complement activation resembling a tumor coated with mAb.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / drug effects*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology
  • Complement C3 / drug effects
  • Glucans / pharmacology*
  • Lymphoid Tissue / drug effects
  • Macrophage-1 Antigen / drug effects
  • Macrophages / drug effects
  • Mice
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms / immunology
  • beta-Glucans*

Substances

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Complement C3
  • Glucans
  • Macrophage-1 Antigen
  • beta-Glucans
  • beta-1,3-glucan