Low molecular weight β-glucan stimulates doxorubicin-induced suppression of immune functions in mice

The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of low molecular weight beta-glucan (LMG) against doxorubicin (DOX)-induced immune suppression of tumor-bearing mice. The tumor size and spleen cell functions such as spleen cell proliferation, cytokine production (interferon-gamma and interleukin-2), and the population of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells were estimated. In the tumorbearing mice, the tumor size was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased by DOX treatment. However, there was no significant difference between mice treated with high molecular weight beta-glucan (HMG) and mice treated with LMG. Spleen cell proliferation and cytokine production were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in only DOX treated group, but increased in all beta-glucan treated groups with DOX. Moreover, the populations of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells were also increased in the LMG-treated group. It appears that LMG effectively reduces the DOX-induced immune toxicity through activation of immune cells such as splenocytes.