醫用蕈菇之beta葡聚醣作為減肥用之益菌素

β-glucan Fibers from Medicinal Mushrooms as Prebiotics for Anti-obsogenicity

廣見於植物，食用蕈菇，酵母菌及細菌之活性多醣，尤其是beta-葡萄糖，顯示減肥，抗糖尿病，抗發炎，抗感染，抗氧化壓力，抗過敏，促進免疫力及抗癌之多方功效。對人而言，亦具安全性，因此具益菌素功能。瞭解beta-葡萄糖在減肥方面其功效可至何等範圍，及beta-葡萄糖之調整發炎及免疫力之分子機制益形重要，成為重要議題。此訊息可作為預防及治療糖尿病及代謝症候群之重要依據。

Bioactive polysaccharides (PS), especially the beta-glucan, commonly identified in plants, edible mushrooms, yeasts and bacteria, show a variety of beneficial effects on anti-obsogenicity, anti- diabetes, anti-inflammation, anti-infections, anti-oxidative stress, anti-allergy, enhancing immunity and anti-cancers. Besides, these PS are basically reckoned as being safe and showed little or no adverse effect towards human health. Thus many PS from mushrooms may generally have the potential of being used as prebiotics for health enhancement. As obsogenicity has becoming a global health issue, to further validate to what extent and mechanisms these mushroom PS may ameliorate obesity in animals and humans will be an essential issue. Also, it is important to know whether the amelioration of many inflammation-related diseases by PS may be achieved through regulation of overlapping inflammatory and immune pathways remains to be further addressed. Understanding the underlying biochemical signaling aspects of mushroom PS will provide valuable insights into their potential at preventing and even treating the obesogenicity and metabolic syndromes.