Abstract: Objective: To investigate the inhibition of β-1,3-1,6 glucan derived from black yeast on the growth of transplanted ascites tumors and immune functions in mice. Methods: BALB/c mouse models with transplantation of S180 ascites tumors were established. The BALB/c mice bearing S180 ascites tumors were intervened by oral administration of black yeast β-1,3-1,6 glucan once daily. The volume of S180 ascites tumors was measured regularly during the 21-day administration period. Moreover, the levels of ten cytokines including IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α, TNF-β and G-CSF in mouse serum were assayed and the contents of CD4, CD8, C3, IgG and IgM were also measured. Results: Compared with the blank control group, the intervention group showed a significant increase in the levels of the ten cytokines (P＜0.01, P＜0.05). In addition, the levels of CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8 ratio, C3, IgG and IgM were also increased significantly (P＜0.01, P＜0.05). Conclusion: β-1,3-1,6 glucan derived from black yeast can considerably inhibit the transplanted tumor growth of S180 and the mechanism underlying this great inhibitory effect may be related to improved cellular and humoral immune functions.

Key words: β-1,3-1,6-glucosan, anti-tumor activity, immune function