Toxicology of 1 - 3-Beta-Glucans de Shih-Houng Young

Toxicology of 1 - 3-Beta-Glucans: Glucans as a Marker for Fungal Exposure

Shih-Houng Young

Vincent Castranova

The investigation of indoor air quality has shown that microbial contamination is often a problem in buildings. Recent evidence indicates that fungi are often a part of the picture. A component of the fungal cell wall, 1®3-ß-glucans not only affect human health, they are a marker for the existence of fungi in environmental samples.

Toxicology of 1®3-ß-Glucans covers the basic chemistry and immunobiology of these substances. The authors begin by introducing current methods for detecting 1®3-ß-glucans in environmental samples and reviewing risk evaluation in the environment. They go on to discuss numerous topics including likely occupational and environmental exposure, studies suggesting a strong link between environmental glucan concentrations and pulmonary inflammation, and signal transduction pathways and specific receptors.

No other book currently available brings together the expertise of leading international researchers to provide a straightforward monograph on the toxicology of 1®3-ß-glucans. It pulls together current knowledge of these compounds, their effects, measurement, monitoring, and risk assessment.

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Cuprins

Basic Chemistry and Immunobiology. Current Methods for Detection in Environmental Samples. Risk Evaluation. Likely Occupational and Environmental Exposure. The Link between Environmental Glucan Concentrations and Pulmonary Inflammation. Signal Transduction Pathways and Specific Receptors. Elimination, Accumulation and Fate in Vivo. Adjuvant Effects. Endogenous Septic Shock by Combining ß-glucans and Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs. Clinical Use of Plasma 1->3-ß-Glucans Measurements.

Notă biografică

Shih-Houng Young, Ph.D., received a B.S. and an M.S. in chemistry from National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan. After eight years of working in the field of occupational safety and health, he decided to further his education in occupational health. He went to University of Alabama at Birmingham and received a Ph.D. in environmental health sciences and industrial hygiene in 1998. He is a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. His thesis involved the elucidation of conformational-biological activity relationships of (1?3)-?-glucans via the fluorescence resonance energy transfer method. He was awarded a National Research Council Associateship at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to continue his study in (1?3)-?-glucans. Vincent Castranova, Ph.D., is the Chief of the Pathology and Physiology Research Branch in the Health Effects Laboratory Division of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV. He holds the grade of a CDC Distinguished Consultant. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Physiology and the Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV and the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. He is a member of the American Physiological Society, the Society of Toxicology, Beta Beta Beta, and the Allegheny-Eric Chapter of the Society of Toxicology, where he once served as president. He is on the editorial board of Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, and Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. In addition, he was guest editor for the Journal of Environmental Pathology, Toxicology and Oncology.

Descriere

A component of the fungal cell wall, 1®3-ß-glucans not only affect human health, they are a marker for the existence of fungi in environmental samples. This book introduces current methods for detecting 1®3-ß-glucans in environmental samples and reviews risk evaluation in the environment. It discusses numerous topics including likely occupational and environmental exposure, studies suggesting a strong link between environmental glucan concentrations and pulmonary inflammation, and signal transduction pathways and specific receptors. A unique volume, the book pulls together the expertise of leading international researchers to provide a straightforward monograph on the toxicology of 1®3-ß-glucans.