Abstract: Fungal polysaccharides can activate the maturation of macrophages and dendritic cells, stimulate the expression of CD80, CD86 and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on the surface of macrophages and dendritic cells, decrease the endocytosis of dendritic cells, enhance the phagocytic activity of macrophages, and increase the production of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin 12 (IL-12), and effector molecules such as nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI). The signal pathway of fungal polysaccharides for affecting macrophages and dendritic cells may be due to the interaction between fungal polysaccharides and Toll-like receptors (TLR), thus stimulating the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), triggering the phosphorylation and transcription of transcription factor AP-1, accelerating the degradation of IκB and nuclear translocation of NF-κB, and regulating the transcription and expression of nuclear genes to modulate the immune response.

Key words: fungal polysaccharides, macrophages, dendritic cells, immunostimulation, signal pathway