Sodium carboxymethyl beta-glucan  a chemical compound, the sodium salt of a carboxymethyl ether of beta-glucan. Beta-glucan  is a generic term for polysaccharides with a linear structure that contain beta bonds. They have a high viscosity and are water-soluble. They have a molecular weight-related prebiotic action that positively influences normalisation of serum cholesterol levels, has an anti-obesity effect, and can reduce postprandial glucose elevation. Recent studies have shown that they can also be useful in modern strategies for preventing and inhibiting tumour growth.

It appears in the form of white or brown powder.  Insoluble in water.

What it is used for and where it is used

Beta glucan and chitosan are substances widely used in the pharmaceutical, medical and food industries for their properties in influencing cholesterol and lipid levels. The carboxymethylation and subsequent amidation or methyl esterification steps make it possible to achieve a high degree of substitution in the prepared derivatives. The microbial formation comes mainly from brewer's yeast.

Medicine

Sodium carboxymethyl beta-glucan in combination with resveratrol has proved effective as a nasal solution in the treatment of childhood colds (1). β-D-glucan has also been found to have antioxidant properties with scavenging capacity (2).

Insecticides

This study evaluated the bioactivity and biotoxicity of a new type of smart-delivery fungicide formulation using carboxymethyl beta-glucan against certain types of pathogens, Fusarium graminearum, Sarocladium oryzae, Rhizoctonia solani and Colletotrichum truncatum. The results demonstrated excellent bioactivity against these pathogens (3).

Cosmetics

It is used in personal care products as an ingredient to provide anti-ageing and anti-wrinkle effects in addition to a nourishing effect including skin-lightening efficacy.

Binder agent. A binding compound that is used in cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical products as an anti-caking agent with the function of making the product in which it is incorporated silky, compact and homogenous. The binder, either natural such as mucilage, gums and starches or chemical, may be in the form of a powder or liquid.

Viscosity Enhancing Agent - acqueous and non acqueous. Since viscosity is important for increasing the chemical and physical stability of the product, Viscosity Enhancing Agent non acqueous is an important dosage factor in gels, suspensions, emulsions, solutions. Increasing viscosity makes formulations less sedimentary and more homogeneously thickened.

Sodium carboxymethyl beta-glucan studies

References______________________________________________________________________

(1) Baldassarre, M. E., Di Mauro, A., Labellarte, G., Pignatelli, M., Fanelli, M., Schiavi, E., ... & Laforgia, N. (2020). Resveratrol plus carboxymethyl-β-glucan in infants with common cold: A randomized double-blind trial. Heliyon, 6(4), e03814.

(2) Babincova, M., Bačová, Z., Machova, E., & Kogan, G. (2002). Antioxidant properties of carboxymethyl glucan: comparative analysis. Journal of medicinal food, 5(2), 79-83.

(3) Kaziem, A. E., Yang, L., Lin, Y., Song, Z., Xu, H., & Zhang, Z. (2022). Efficiency of mesoporous silica/carboxymethyl β-glucan as a fungicide nano-delivery system for improving chlorothalonil bioactivity and reduce biotoxicity. Chemosphere, 287, 131902.

Compendium of the most significant studies with reference to properties, intake, effects.

Taubner, Tomáš, Milan Marounek, and Andriy Synytsya. "Preparation and characterization of hydrophobic and hydrophilic amidated derivatives of carboxymethyl chitosan and carboxymethyl β-glucan." International journal of biological macromolecules 163 (2020): 1433-1443.

Abstract. These analytic methods confirmed the preparation of the substituted N-alkylamides, hydrazide and hydroxamic acid of carboxymethyl chitosan and carboxymethyl β-glucan.

Cordeiro, A. S., Farsakoglu, Y., Crecente-Campo, J., de la Fuente, M., González, S. F., & Alonso, M. J. (2021). Carboxymethyl-β-glucan/chitosan nanoparticles: new thermostable and efficient carriers for antigen delivery. Drug delivery and translational research, 11(4), 1689-1702.

Abstract. Allergic rhinitis (AR) is caused by an IgE-mediated inflammatory reaction consequent to the exposure to causal allergen. Resveratrol is a natural non-flavonoid polyphenol, exerting anti-inflammatory activity; β-glucan is a polysaccharide with immuno-modulatory properties. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether these combined compounds are able of relieving nasal symptoms in children with AR due to pollen allergy.

Varricchio, A. M., Capasso, M., Della Volpe, A., Malafronte, L., Mansi, N., Varricchio, A., & Ciprandi, G. (2014). Resveratrol plus carboxymethyl-β-glucan in children with recurrent respiratory infections: a preliminary and real-life experience. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 40(1), 1-6.

Abstract. As resveratrol plus carboxymethyl-β-glucan is presently available as solution for aerosol, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of this compound, compared to saline solution, whether it is able to prevent recurrent respiratory infections  children.

Li, X., Wang, J., Li, S., Liu, Z., Zheng, Z., & Zhang, Y. (2019). Development and evaluation of multifunctional poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles embedded in carboxymethyl β-glucan porous microcapsules as a novel drug delivery system for gefitinib. Pharmaceutics, 11(9), 469.

Abstract. In this study, a new kind of folic acid (FA)-conjugated and chitosan (CS)-coated poloxamer 407 (P407)/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs), FCPP NPs, were prepared, and further micro-encapsulated by carboxymethyl β-glucan microcapsules (MCs) to produce a multifunctional system of NPs embedded in MCs (NEMs) for potential lung tumor-targeted delivery of gefitinib.

Kanlayavattanakul, Mayuree & Lourith, Nattaya. (2008). Carboxymethylglucan in Cosmetics. Thai Pharmaceutical and Health Science Journal Thai Pharm Health Sci J. 33. 378-382.