PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCHPhytother. Res. 28: 159–166 (2014)Published online 11 March 2013 in Wiley Online Library(wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/ptr.4963

REVIEW

* CorrespBeijing NInternationE-mail: ba

Copyright

Skin Health Promotion Effects of NaturalBeta-Glucan Derived from Cereals andMicroorganisms: A Review

Bin Du,1,2 Zhaoxiang Bian2 and Baojun Xu3*1Analysis and Testing Center, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066600, China2School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China3Food Science and Technology Program, Beijing Normal University–Hong Kong Baptist University United International College,Zhuhai, Guangdong 519085, China

b-Glucans are natural cell wall polysaccharides found in yeast, fungi (including mushrooms), some bacteria,seaweeds and cereals. Natural b-glucans possess many health promotion effects on human health, such asanti-tumor, anti-diabetes, anti-infection, lowering blood cholesterol and immune-modulating properties. Theseeffects have been reviewed previously. However, skin health promotion of b-glucan derived from cereals andmicroorganisms has received little attention. This review focuses on antioxidant activity, anti-wrinkle activity,anti-ultraviolet light, wound healing, andmoisturizing effect and skin permeation absorption ofb-glucan. Furthermore,applications of b-glucan in cosmetics are also discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords: b-glucan; anti-wrinkle; wound healing; antioxidant activity; moisturizing effect; anti-UV; skin permeation absorption.

INTRODUCTION

b-Glucans are polysaccharides of D-glucose monomerslinked by b-glycosidic bonds. It is one type of valuabledietary fiber in cereals, mushrooms, yeasts, somebacteria and seaweeds. b-Glucans from differentsources have different linkage types, branchingmanners and molecular weight (MW). In 1941, therewas the first discovery of a pharmaceutical insolubleyeast product called ‘Zymosan,’ composed of 50%glucan and other polysaccharides (Pillemer and Ecker,1941). b-Glucan from baker’s yeast consists of b-(1! 3)and (1! 6) linkages (Fig. 1 a) (Gardiner, 2005).However, other b-glucans, derived from cereals, arepolysaccharides of glucose residues with b-(1! 3) andb-(1! 4) linkages (Fig. 1 b) (Tohamy et al., 2003). Themacromolecular structure of b-glucans depends onboth source and isolation method, varying mainly in thedistribution and length of side chains, which provide forcomplex tertiary structures stabilized by inter-chainhydrogen bonds (Mantovani et al., 2008). Parameterssuch as primary structure, solubility, degree of branching(DB), MW, charge of their polymers and structurein aqueous media are involved in biological activity thatb-glucan exhibits (Zekovic et al., 2005). b-Glucans with0.2≤DB≤ 0.33, 100≤MW≤ 200kDa, and a triple-helixstructure are more effective biologically (Zekovic et al.,2005). The solubility of b-glucans is associated withthe degree of polymerization (DP). b-Glucans arecompletely insoluble in water when DP> 100. Sizeexclusion chromatography presents a good way to

ondence to: Baojun Xu, Food Science and Technology Program,ormal University–Hong Kong Baptist University Unitedal College, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519085, China.ojunxu@uic.edu.hk

© 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

determine the MWof b-glucan and other polysaccharides(Lazaridou et al., 2003). Viscosity properties areinfluenced by tri/tetra ratios, cellulose-like fragments,MW distribution and molecular size of cereal b-glucan(Ahmad et al., 2012). Fluid dynamic parameters alsoinfluence the flow, diffusion or transport behavior ofb-glucan during digestion in the small intestine. b-Glucan’svarious functional properties determine the suitabilityto be incorporated in soups, sauces, beverages and inother food products (Dawkins and Nnanna, 1995;Burkus and Temelli, 2000). Owing to b-glucan’simportance, the Food Drug Administration allowed itsuse in food products and made it possible for labelingto acquire health claim (FDA, 1996).

The immune-modulating properties, anti-diabeteseffects, anticancer effects, blood cholesterol loweringeffects and structure–functional relationship of b-glucanhave been previously reviewed (Rieder and Samuelsen,2012, Chan et al., 2009, Bohn and BeMiller, 1995,Volman et al., 2008, Chen and Raymond, 2008) (Table 1).Cosmeceuticals are used for nourishing and improvingskin appearance and are also documented as effectiveagents for treating various dermatologic conditions(Singh and Agarwal, 2009). b-Glucans possess skinregenerative properties, which involve in revitalizingimmune cells in skin, regeneration of collagen-producingcells, strengthening skin ability to deal with adverseenvironmental effects and promotion of anti-agingand anti-wrinkles. The skin health promotion potentialof b-glucan used in cosmeceuticals has received littleattention. In this sense, this review presents anoverall profile of the skin health promotion effects ofb-glucan, including anti-wrinkle, wound healing,antioxidant activity, anti-ultraviolet (UV) effect andmoisturizing effect. Furthermore skin permeationabsorption and application of b-glucan in cosmeticswill also be discussed.

Received 22 October 2012Revised 15 January 2013

Accepted 01 February 2013

(b)

(a)

Figure 1. Structure of b-glucans. (a): Structure of (1!3) b-glucanswith ramifications b (1!6); (b): Structure of (1!3) b-glucans withramifications b (1!4). Copyright 2007 Recent Patents onBiotechnology. (Laroche and Michaud, 2007). New developmentsand prospective applications for b-(1, 3) glucans. Recent Patentson Biotechnology 1: 59–73.

160 B. DU ET AL.

WOUND HEALING

Wound healing is an intricate process in which the skin(or another organ-tissue) repairs itself after injury(Nguyen et al., 2009). The classic model of woundhealing is divided into three phases: inflammatoryphase, proliferative phase and remodeling phase(Stadelmann et al., 1998). Suggested effects of b-glucansrelated to wound healing are transportation improve-ment of macrophages to the wound site (Browderet al., 1988), stimulating tissue granulation (Delatteet al., 2001), re-epithelialization (Kougias et al., 2001)and collagen deposition improvement (Portera et al.,1997). Some studies found that macrophages playedcrucial roles in improvement of wound healing inexperiments with diabetic mice (Berdal et al., 2007)and trauma patients (Browder et al., 1988, 1990). Themain role of macrophage is to phagocytize bacteriaand damaged tissue; macrophages also debridedamaged tissue by releasing proteases (Deodhar and

Table 1. Biological functions of b-glucan

Functions Structure

Immune-modulatingproperties

b (1!3) (1!4); b (1!3) (1!6) VolmanRieder

Anti-diabetes b (1!3) (1!4); b (1!3) (1!6) Chen aRaymo

Low blood cholesterol b (1!3) (1!4); b (1!3) (1!6) BrennaSeviou

Antitumor b (1!3) (1!6) Ooi andChan e

Antiviral b (1!3) (1!6) ReynolAntimicrobial b (1!3) (1!4) Shin et

b (1!3) (1!6) CisneroLiang e

Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rana, 1997). Granulation tissue consists of new bloodvessels, fibroblasts, inflammatory cells, endothelialcells, myofibroblasts and the components of a new,provisional extracellular matrix. Initially fibroblastsutilize the fibrin cross-linking fibers to migrate acrossthe wound, subsequently adhering to fibronectin(Romo and Pearson, 2006). Fibroblasts then depositground substance into the wound bed, and latercollagen, which they can adhere to for migration(Rosenberg and de la Torre, 2008). The effect oncollagen deposition was thought to be indirect throughthe stimulated release of growth factors frommacrophages (Lehtovaara and Gu, 2011). Macrophagesare stimulated to produce factors that induce and speedangiogenesis in hypoxic conditions (Greenhalgh, 1998).They also stimulate cells that reepithelialize the wound,create granulation tissue and lay down a new extracellu-lar matrix (Swaim and Gillette, 1998; Badylak et al., 2001;Stashak et al., 2004). Therapy with b-glucan showed im-provements like reduced mortality, lowered infectionand stronger tensile strength of scar tissue in both animaland human studies (Browder et al., 1990; Portera et al.,1997). In one study (Vetvicka and Vetvickova, 2011),the tested b-(1–3)-D-glucans, yeast-derived insolubleglucan, strongly inhibited adipogenic differentiation,supported wound healing and significantly lowered skinirritation. Berdal et al. (2007) reported that topicalapplications of the macrophage-stimulant, aminated b-1,3-D-glucan, could improve wound healing in an animalmodel with diabetes mellitus (db/db mice). Gwon et al.(2011) demonstrated that polyvinyl alcohol/propyleneglycol/b-glucan blended hydrogels could greatly acceler-ate the healing without causing irritation throughobserving the wound healing of rat skin. One researchreported that both systemic and local administration ofb-glucan were effective against burn-induced oxidativetissue damage in a rat model (Toklu et al., 2006). Weiet al. (2002) examined the effect of glucan fromSaccharomyces cerevisiae on activation of the transcrip-tion factors (activator protein-1 and specificity protein-1)in normal human dermal fibroblasts. Moreover,researchers evaluated the effect of glucan on mRNAexpression of wound growth factors, includingneurotrophin 3, platelet derived growth factor A, plateletderived growth factor B, acidic fibroblast growth factor,basic fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factoralpha, transforming growth factor beta and vascular

Literature Type of article

et al., 2008; Chan et al., 2009;and Samuelsen, 2012

Review

nd Seviour, 2007; Chen andnd, 2008

Review

n and Cleary, 2005; Chen andr, 2007

Review

Liu, 2000; Zhang et al., 2005;t al., 2009

Original research articleReview

ds et al., 1980 Original research articleal., 2005 Original research articles et al., 1996; Di Luzio et al., 1979;t al., 1998; Kaiser and Kernodle, 1998

Original research article

Phytother. Res. 28: 159–166 (2014)

161SKIN HEALTH PROMOTION EFFECTS OF GLUCAN

endothelial growth factor in primary cultures of normalhuman dermal fibroblasts (Wei et al., 2002). Delatteet al. (2001) demonstrated that partial-thickness burns inchildren could be effectively treated with beta glucancollagen matrix (BGC) with good results. BGCmarkedly simplifies wound care for patients and seemsto significantly decrease post-injury pain.

ANTI-AGING EFFECT

Aging is a gradual process that results in a dysfunctionand reduced reserve capacity of all body organs. Anti-aging research refers exclusively to slowing, preventingor reversing the aging process. Human skin providesan instructive contrast between ‘programmed’ orintrinsic aging, changes attributable to the passage oftime alone, and the superimposed additional changesor ‘accelerated aging’ that result from environmentaldamage (Kosmadaki and Gilchrest, 2004). Intrinsicallyaged skin is finely wrinkled, lax, dried and rough,reflecting loss of dermal cells and their secreted matrixproteins in combination with subtle abnormalities ofepidermal differentiation. Cross-linkage of proteins inskin produces secondary chemical changes which causeskin aging. The cross-linking of the proteins occursbecause of non-enzymatic glycation or oxidation ofsome amino acids in susceptible proteins such ascollagens and elastins. This oxidation could be preventedby antioxidants, leading to reduced cross-linked proteinformation in aged skin (Oresajo et al., 2012).

Antioxidant activity

b-Glucans, besides their immunomodulatory effects,have additional antioxidant properties. Because oxida-tive stress is one of the major mechanisms for skin agingand dermatologic conditions, phytochemicals withproven antioxidant activity could be useful for treatingmany dermatologic conditions as well as skin aging(Singh and Agarwal, 2009). Several authors investigatedthe antioxidant activity of b-glucan from differentsources. Among them, Kogan et al. (2005) evaluatedantioxidant properties of yeast (1! 3)-b-D-glucan byelectron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Seneret al. (2006) investigated the antioxidant of b-glucanwith malondialdehyde and glutathione assays. Theresults showed that b-glucan ameliorated methotrex-ate-induced oxidative organ injury. Guerra Dore et al.(2007) studied anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activ-ity of b-glucan-rich extract from mushroom Geastrumsaccatum with superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical andlipid peroxidation assays. Yuan et al. (2009) evaluatedthe antioxidant and immune activity of glucan fromPhellinus ribis in mice using lymphocyte proliferationassay. Thondre et al. (2011) reported the polyphenolsand antioxidants of barley b-glucan extracts. Theydiscussed the possibility that health benefits associatedwith b-glucans might depend on the content of impuritysuch as polyphenols that vary with the preparationmethod. Maity et al. (2011) investigated the antioxidantproperty of a glucan isolated from an alkaline extractfrom a somatic hybrid mushroom of Pleurotus floridaand Calocybe indica variety APK2. Gujral et al.

Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

(2011) suggested the effect of sand roasting on extract-ability, physicochemical and antioxidant properties ofoats b-glucan. Deng et al. (2012) demonstratedantioxidant activity in vitro of a b-D-glucan isolatedfrom bamboo fungus Dictyophora indusiata. Variousantioxidant activities of glucan from their respectivesources in vitro and in vivo are summarized in Table 2.

Anti-wrinkle activity

Wrinkles are visible creases or folds in skin. Wrinklesless than 1mm in width and depth are defined as finewrinkles, and those greater than 1mm are defined ascoarse wrinkles. Wrinkle formation is one of the pri-mary characteristics of skin aging; the major cause offine wrinkles is the loss of structural protein (type I col-lagen) in the dermal layer of skin. The collagen familyproteins are the most abundant connective proteins inskin. Collagen makes up 70–80% dry weight of skinand contributes to the stability and the structural integ-rity of tissues. The deposition of collagen is finely con-trolled and is dependent on the physiological status ofthe body. The progressive decline of type I collagen syn-thesis in skin dermis contributes to the formation ofwrinkles and aging skin. Thus, the control of collagenmetabolism could potentially be very useful in a varietyof therapeutic and cosmetic applications. Pillai et al.(2005a, 2005b) studied the penetration of oat b-glucanin human skin models to evaluate clinically its efficacyfor reducing fine lines and wrinkles, using a clinicalstudy of 27 subjects. After 8weeks of treatment, digitalimage analysis of silicone replicas indicated a significantreduction of wrinkle depth and height, and overallroughness. Knowledge on the biological process of skinchronological and photo-aging is still increasing thanksto cross-sectional results generated from human, animaland in vitro studies. However, as mouse skin is somehowdifferent from human skin, the innovative model ofwrinkling human skin xenograft on severe combinedimmunodeficiency mice seems to be really promising(Humbert et al., 2012a). Nevertheless, the cause andoccurrence mechanism of the coarser lines on agingindividual’s skin are not yet fully understood(Humbert et al., 2012b). Park et al. (2001) isolatedb-1,6-branched-b-1,3-glucan from the fungusSchizophyllumcommune and provided a composition for external appli-cation containing b-1, 6-branched-b-1, 3-glucan as anactive ingredient, which can deter skin aging, impart skinwhitening effect and cure skin damage effectively. Theyfound that b-1, 6-branched-b-1, 3-glucan could inhibitthe formation of melanin, promote bio-synthesis ofskin-cells and collagen and cure burns caused by exces-sive sun exposure.

MOISTURIZING EFFECT

The water content of the stratum corneum and skinsurface lipids are important factors in the appearanceand function of skin (Cheng et al., 2007). Moisturizersdecelerate the loss of skin humidity and minimize finewrinkles (Baumann, 2007). They also increase hydrationof the stratum corneum and improve physical andchemical properties of skin surface, making it moist,

Phytother. Res. 28: 159–166 (2014)

Table 2. The antioxidant activity of glucan from various sources in vitro and in vivo

Type SourceAntioxidant activity assay

based on the inhibition of oxidation Literature

(1!3)-b-D-glucan Oyster mushroomPleurotus ostreatus

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) Bobek and Galbavy, 2001Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX)in the rat colon

carboxymethylated(1!3)-b-D-glucan

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Lipid peroxidation Babincová et al., 2002OH radicals with Fenton’s reagent(H 2O2/Fe

2+)b-glucan The baker’s yeast

Saccharomyces cerevisiae2,20-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane)-dihydrochloride (AAPH)

Kogan et al., 2005

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)potassium persulfate (K2S2O8)

b-glucan Yeast Superoxide dismutase (SOD) Kayali et al., 2005Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX)

b-glucan YeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity Sener et al., 2006

b-glucan Mushroom Geastrum saccatum Superoxide radicals Guerra Dore et al., 2007Hydroxyl radicalsLipid peroxidation

b-glucan YeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity Sener et al., 2007

b-glucan YeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity(TEAC) assay

Jaehrig et al., 2008

(1!6)-a-D-glucan Pueraria lobata PC12 cells Cui et al., 20083-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetra-zolium bromide (MTT)

b-glucan Phellinus ribis Thiobarbituic acid reactive substances (TBARS) Yuan et al., 2009Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activityGlutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)

b-glucan Yeast Catalase (CAT) Ozkan et al., 2010Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activityGlutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)

(1!3),(1!4)-a-D-glucan Aconitum kusnezoffiiReichb

DPPH radical-scavenging activity Gao et al., 2010Hydroxyl radical-scavenging activitySuperoxide anion-scavenging activityH2O2-scavenging activityChelating effect on ferrous ionFerric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)Self-oxidation of 1,2,3-phentriol assay

b-glucan Yeast Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity Gulmen et al., 2010Catalase (CAT)Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity

(1!3)-b-D-glucan YeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae

peroxynitrite (ONOO�) Saluk-Juszczak et al., 2011hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)

b-glucan Barley 2,2-diphenyl 1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) Thondre et al., 2011ferric-ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)

b-glucan A hybrid mushroom ofPleurotus florida andCalocybe indica

radical scavenging activity (DPPH) Maity et al., 2011

b-glucan Oat 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) Gujral et al., 2011Reducing powerMetal chelating (Fe+2) activity

b-glucan Oat Hydrogen peroxide content Kivelä et al., 2011Oxygen consumption

Total, a- and b-glucans Schizophyllum commune DPPH free radical scavenging activity Klaus et al., 2011Reducing powerChelating ability on ferrous ions

b-D-glucan Dictyophora indusiata Reducing power Deng et al., 2012Hydroxyl radical scavenging activitySuperoxide radical (O2

•�) scavenging activityDPPH scavenging activity

Barley Hydroxyl radicals scavenging activity Kofuji et al., 2012

(Continues)

162 B. DU ET AL.

Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Phytother. Res. 28: 159–166 (2014)

Table 2. (Continued)

Type SourceAntioxidant activity assay

based on the inhibition of oxidation Literature

70%b-(1!3-1!4)-D-glucan

85%b-(1!3-1!6)-D-glucan

Black yeast Aureobasidiumpullulans

Hydroxyl radicals scavenging activity Kofuji et al., 2012

b-glucan Oat Hydroxyl radicals scavenging activity Kofuji et al., 2012

163SKIN HEALTH PROMOTION EFFECTS OF GLUCAN

smooth and soft (Kim et al., 2007). Traditional moistur-izing ingredients, such as pantothenic acid (Kobayashiet al., 2011), 6-palmitoyl-L-ascorbic acid (Uner et al.,2005) and hyaluronic acid (Pavicic et al., 2011), areknown as an effective moisturizing activity in cosmeticformulations. Additionally, some natural extractsfrom root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon (Changet al., 2008), okra polysaccharide (Kanlayavattanakulet al., 2012) and b-glucan (Kim et al., 2008), play impor-tant roles in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.Kim et al. (2008) isolated b-glucan from fungusSchizophyllum commune and provided a compositionfor external application which is capable of alleviatingskin dryness and atopic diseases and reducing prurituscaused by bacterial infections. A cosmetic or pharma-ceutical composition scleroglucan, comprising of0.001 to less than 0.2% by weight, having a meanMW of 1�106 to 12� 106, has been applied to cos-metics in a recent study; advantageous effects, such asmoisturization of skin or mucosa, and an anti-agingand revitalizing effect on skin were demonstrated(Baschong et al., 2009).

ANTI-UV LIGHT EFFECT

UV radiation is one of the causative factors of DNAdamage and inflammatory responses and inducesvarious cutaneous lesions such as photo-aging andphoto-carcinogenesis (Scharffetter-Kochanek et al.,2000; Pillai et al., 2005a, 2005b). Many inflammatoryreactions induced by UV irradiation are initiated byreactive oxygen species (ROS), which eventuallyactivate pro-inflammatory mediators such as prosta-glandin, leukotriene and cytokine generation, causingfurther damage to cells and tissues (Oresajo et al.,2012). Antioxidants can block UV-induced ROSgeneration and further potentiate anti-inflammatoryand anti-aging activities (Oresajo et al., 2008). Short-term or long-term skin changes due to the solarradiation had attracted the attention of dermatologistsand made necessary new investigations for newcosmeceuticals needed to reduce the noxious actionsof UV solar radiation. Zulli et al. (1998) suggested thatglucan from the cell wall of baker’s yeast could beused as an active ingredient for cosmetic and pharma-ceutical purposes. This experiment showed thatcarboxymethyl glucan (CM-glucan) protected skincells against the depletion of antioxidant moleculesupon UV-A irradiation.

Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

SKIN PERMEATION ABSORPTION ANDARTIFICIAL SKIN

It has long been considered that the large biopolymers,such as protein and glycosaminoglycan and glycopro-teins, find it difficult to penetrate deeply into skin whenapplied in cream form. However, penetration studiesperformed on human abdominal skin using a singleapplication of 0.5% b-glucan solution at a dose of 5mgper cm2 showed that b-glucan, despite its largemolecular size, deeply penetrated the skin into theepidermis and dermis (Pillai et al., 2005a, 2005b). Theydemonstrated that b-glucan could penetrate humanskin, and it was obviously to penetrate cuticle andepidermis. b-Glucan did not directly penetrate the cell,but penetrate skin through intercellular space. On theother hand, based on carbohydrate histochemicalmethods and the porcine ear skin model, one studydemonstrated that (1! 3) (1! 6) b-D-glucanspenetrated from a cosmetic formulation into the cellsof the vital epidermis of porcine ear skin, with thehelp of hyaluronic acid as vehicle. Such b-glucansmay be important for the stabilization of osmoticconditions in the keratinocytes (Meyer et al., 2006).Skin substitutes containing living cells have beenproduced in vitro using three-dimensional culturetechnique. In particular, collagen-based materials inthe form of a sponge are frequently used as three-dimensional insoluble scaffolds for the preparation ofartificial dermis or skin (Harriger et al., 1997; Tanakaet al., 1999). Lee et al. (2003a) prepared the porousscaffolds composed of hyaluronic acid and b-glucan.The b-glucans have been incorporated in bio-artificialskins by combination with gelatin or collagen (Leeet al., 2003b). They have been used traditionally asvehicles for fibroblast formulations or as bandage-likecoverings for burns or autograft sites (Lee et al.,2003b; Delatte et al., 2001).

APPLICATION OF b-GLUCAN INCOSMECEUTICALS AND PHARMACEUTICALS

Previous researches were focusing on exploring theways to incorporate b-glucans into food and medicalindustry (Hallfrisch and Behall, 1997; Ahmad et al.,2008). In this context, b-glucan was extracted fromdifferent sources and marketed in various forms, suchas b-glucan concentrate extracted from oats (‘Oattrime’),

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164 B. DU ET AL.

b-glucan from barley (‘NutrimXe’) and b-glucanextracted from rice (‘Ricetrim’) (Inglett et al., 2004).Oat b-glucan, the soluble fiber component of oat, isalready widely used in food and beverage productsthroughout the world. Companies such asMarks & Spencerin the UK and Oatworks in the USA have incorporatedBiovelp’s food-grade oat b-glucan ingredient, PromOat,into their products, delivering the cholesterol-loweringhealth benefits of oats to consumers in their favoriteproducts. Furthermore, mushroom b-glucans such aslentinan from shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) andschizophyllan from fungus Schizophyllum commune,respectively, are currently approved in Japan for clinicaluse in human cancer treatment (Mizuno et al., 1999).Donzis (1996) used purified beta (1, 3) yeast extractglucan particles, in particular finely ground, as nutritionalsupplements and as dermatological agents. Apart fromthe application of b-glucan in food and medical industry,b-glucan also has application in cosmetics. There aresome evidences indicating that glucan from the cell wallof baker’s yeast could be used as an active ingredientfor cosmetic and pharmaceutical purposes. The experi-ments showed that CM-glucan promoted the growth ofkeratinocytes (Zulli et al., 1998). In placebo-controlledstudies with healthy volunteers, the pretreatment of skinwith CM-glucan offered substantial protection againstskin damage caused by a detergent challenge. Inaddition, CM-glucan enhanced the renewal rate of thestratum corneum (Zulli et al., 1998). Oat b-glucanwas also well-known for its soothing, moisturizing andanti-irritant properties, and there are many cosmeticand personal care products which benefit from its inclu-sion. For example, ‘Avenacare’ is a specially-developedliquid form of active oat b-glucan, naturally produced fromSwedish oats using Biovelop’s patented, chemical-freetechnology. Clinical studies with ‘Avenacare’ showed that

Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

it was not only beneficial in skin care products, but also inhair care products.

CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

b-Glucan is one type of valuable dietary fiber that hastremendous health promoting applications. b-Glucanwas found promising as an active ingredient in anti-wrinkle activity, wound healing, antioxidant activityand moisturizing effect. To achieve complete benefitsof this important functional ingredient, it is imperativethat future research should be aimed at utilization ofb-glucan for the development of new cosmetic products.Furthermore, the mechanism of b-glucan in anti-radiation,anti-wrinkle, anti-aging, moisturizing and healing minorwounds and burns remains unclear. Thus, more exten-sive research, as well as further practical application, isrequired to better understand the mechanisms behindthe functions.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Guangzhou Guerlain Cosmetics Ltd.,China, as well as a research grant (UICRG 201235) from BeijingNormal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United InternationalCollege, China. The authors would like to thank Mr. Cris Miller forimproving English expression.

Conflict of Interest

The authors have declared that there is no confict of interest.

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