Beta-Glucan Supplementation Improves Clinical Outcomes and Preserves Immune Homeostasis in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors Receiving Chemotherapy: A Prospective Phase II Randomized Three-Arm Clinical Trial.

β-Glucan supplementation improved disease control rate compared to standard care controls in patients with advanced solid tumors receiving chemotherapy.

• This was a prospective, randomized phase II study with three arms
• Two β-glucan formulations were compared against standard care (control)
• Both β-glucan groups showed improved disease control rate relative to controls
• The study enrolled patients with advanced solid tumors receiving chemotherapy

β-Glucan supplementation accelerated neutrophil recovery during chemotherapy compared to standard care.

• Neutrophil recovery was faster in both β-glucan supplementation groups compared to controls
• The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was maintained more stable during chemotherapy in β-glucan groups
• Serial hematologic parameters were tracked longitudinally across all three arms
• Neutrophil recovery is a clinically important marker as neutropenia is a major chemotherapy complication

Longitudinal immune profiling demonstrated greater stability of T-cell, NK-cell, NKT-cell, and KIR (CD158)-expressing immune-cell populations in β-glucan supplementation groups.

• Immune profiling was conducted serially (longitudinally) across treatment timepoints
• β-Glucan groups showed attenuated chemotherapy-induced immune remodeling compared to controls
• Populations specifically assessed included T-cells, NK-cells, NKT-cells, and KIR (CD158)-expressing immune cells
• The findings suggest β-glucan helps preserve immune homeostasis during chemotherapy

Both β-glucan formulations showed comparable immunomodulatory effects overall, though CD158b(+) and CD158i(+) NK-cell subset stability was greater in the powder group during later treatment.

• Two formulations were tested: β-glucan powder (with L-glutamine and bioactive protein from bovine colostrum) and β-glucan capsules (with L-glutamine)
• Overall immunomodulatory effects were comparable between the two formulations
• Expression of CD158b(+) and CD158i(+) NK-cell subsets remained more stable in the powder group specifically during later treatment phases
• The powder formulation contained an additional component (bioactive protein from bovine colostrum) not present in the capsule formulation

In vitro, β-glucan significantly reduced Jurkat T-cell viability, indicating direct biological activity beyond clinical immunomodulatory effects.

• A Jurkat T-cell viability assay was performed as an in vitro component of the study
• β-Glucan significantly reduced Jurkat T-cell viability in the in vitro assay
• The authors interpreted this as evidence of 'direct biological activity in addition to its clinical immunomodulatory effects'
• Jurkat cells are a human T-lymphocyte cell line commonly used in immunology research

The study design was a prospective phase II randomized three-arm clinical trial evaluating β-glucan supplementation in advanced solid tumor patients receiving chemotherapy.

• Three arms: β-glucan powder (with L-glutamine and bioactive protein from bovine colostrum), β-glucan capsules (with L-glutamine), and standard care (control)
• Outcomes evaluated included clinical outcomes, serial hematologic parameters, longitudinal immune profiling, and an in vitro Jurkat T-cell viability assay
• The study was classified as Phase II
• Patient population: adults with advanced solid tumors receiving chemotherapy