BACKGROUND: ß-glucans isolated from natural sources have demonstrated pluripotent immunomodulatory potential, making them a promising supportive treatment for the management of recurrent respiratory infections (RRIs) in children. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a pleuran-based supplement (ß-glucan isolated from Pleurotus ostreatus in combination with vitamin D and zinc) on mucosal immunity -through modulating salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels -in children with RRIs. METHODS: This monocentric, prospective, open-label pilot study investigated the effect of an orally administered pleuran/vitamin D/zinc supplement (1-2 chewable tablets daily depending on body weight) on the dynamics of sIgA secretion measured in saliva samples collected at three timepoints: at baseline and after 4-6 and 8-10 days. RESULTS: This study included 49 children aged 6-11 years (mean age: 8.2 ± 1.6 years) with a history of one or more of the following conditions in the inclusion criteria: RRIs, allergy, and asthma. After 8-10 days with daily administration of the chewable pleuran/vitamin D/zinc supplement, children exhibited a statistically significant increase in salivary sIgA concentrations compared with baseline (227 ± 211 µg/mL; P = 0.045). No adverse events were observed during the course of the study in relation to the administration of pleuran-based supplement. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the beneficial effects of the short-term administration of a pleuran-based chewable supplement on mucosal immunity through increasing salivatory sIgA levels. This study confirms the favourable safety profile of this pleuran/vitamin D/zinc combination, which could be beneficial for children with acute or recurrent respiratory infections, including children with allergies and/or asthma. Moreover, the significant increases in salivary sIgA concentrations that were observed after a few days of supplementation support the use of pleuran in not only the prevention but also the treatment of acute respiratory infections.

Clinic of Paediatric Respiratory Diseases and Tuberculosis National Institute of Paediatric Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases Dolny Smokovec Jessenius Faculty of Medicine Comenius University in Bratislava Bratislava Slovakia

Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands

Department of Microbial Genetics Institute of Molecular Biology Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava Slovakia

Department of Microbiology Faculty of Medicine Slovak Medical University Bratislava Slovakia

Department of Microbiology Immunology and Transplantation KU Leuven Catholic University of Leuven Leuven Belgium

Department of Pathological Physiology Jessenius Faculty of Medicine Comenius University in Bratislava University Teaching Hospital Martin Slovakia

Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Jessenius Faculty of Medicine Comenius University in Bratislava University Teaching Hospital in Martin Martin Slovakia

Department of Respiratory Medicine 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University and Thomayer Hospital Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Clinical Immunology and Medical Genetics Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin Comenius University in Bratislava University Hospital Martin Martin Slovakia

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