zymosan

Zymosan is an insoluble beta-1,3-glucan polysaccharide derived from the cell walls of yeast (primarily Saccharomyces cerevisiae). It consists of protein-carbohydrate complexes and is used primarily as a research tool to induce experimental sterile inflammation and study immune responses. Zymosan acts as a potent immunostimulant by binding to and activating Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) on leukocytes and dectin-1 (CLEC7A) on macrophages. This interaction triggers signaling cascades that lead to the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha, arachidonate mobilization, protein phosphorylation, inositol phosphate formation, and activation of inflammatory transcription factors like NF-kB. Zymosan is widely used in preclinical models for studying inflammation-related processes including peritonitis, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), neuroinflammation, pyrogenicity testing for antipyretic drugs, and immunological tolerance[1][2][4][5][6][7][8].

Other names

zymosan Abeta-1,3-glucanyeast cell wall extract