Lentinan, a triple helix!

Among β-glucans, lentinan is extracted from bodies of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) and is a high molecular weight polysaccharide^{2, 6}. Lentinan, a well known biological response modifier, has a β-(1 → 3) linked backbone and two β-(1 → 6) side chains every five residues². Lentinan enhances the cytotoxic activities of primary macrophages and RAW264.7 cell lines and was found to elevate cytotoxic activity and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) secretion in macrophages both in vitro and in vivo ^{2, 6}. In addition, lentinan has been shown to increase peritoneal macrophage cytotoxicity against metastatic tumors³. Moreover, lentinan was shown to have a stimulatory effect on T cells, and lentinan-mediated T cells increase survival of cancer patients². In addition, lentinan has been approved as an adjuvant for gastric cancer patients⁷.

 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-01462-4