Fungal β-glucans are compounds with the potential
to activate
the innate immune system, in part through binding to the receptor
dectin-1. In the present study, small-scale methods for preparing
dectin-1a binding microparticles fromAlbatrellus ovinusalkali-soluble β-glucans were investigated. Mechanical milling
was time-consuming and yielded large particles with wide size distributions.
Precipitation was more successful: the β-glucan was dissolved
in 1 M NaOH, diluted, and precipitated in 1:1 mol equiv HCl. This
yielded particles in sizes ranging from 0.5–2 μm. The
dectin-1a binding activity was determined using HEK-Blue reporter
cells. The prepared particles were able to bind to dectin-1a to the
same extent as baker’s-yeast-derived β-glucan particles.
The precipitation method was convenient as a quick method for small-scale
preparation of β-glucan microparticle dispersions from mushroom
β-glucans.