Probing the conformation-dependent properties of β-glucan in laminarin by Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

β-glucans are polysaccharides distributed in various plants such as fungi, algae and mushrooms. β-glucans have been studied for their anti-tumor properties as they activate the immune responses of human cells such as natural killer cell (NK-cell), T-cell or macrophage [1]. β-glucans are combined as a triple-stranded helix (TSH) structure by the intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the O-H molecules. The correlation between the immune activities and structures of β-glucans has also been studied because the single-stranded helix (SSH) β-glucans can be denatured from the TSH by a chemical treatment and they are known to have different immune properties [2].