Abstract

The body’s immune system recognizes infections with pathogens and reacts towards them in a two-phasic response. In particular, the anti-viral response has caught attention throughout the past year, in which SARS-CoV2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2) has kept the world in suspense. Training the immune system can have beneficial effects and allows for a faster reaction towards infections, and it was shown that β-glucan promotes trained immunity. CM-Glucan Forte, the water-soluble version of β-glucan combined with magnesium, was previously shown to balance the skin’s immune system, alleviating signs of atopic and stressed skin. New data indicate that CM-Glucan Forte is further able to stimulate the anti-viral defense of keratinocytes by upregulating a set of genes that support skin cells’ reaction upon infection with a virus and thereby contributing to the anti-viral defense of the skin.