Antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of three fungal exocellular β-glucans in MCF-7 breast cancer cells is mediated by oxidative stress, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and the Forkhead transcription factor, FOXO3a

•β-Glucans presented antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects against MCF-7 cells.•The degree of branching and triple helix conformation contributed to the β-glucans effects.•The increase in apoptosis induced by β-glucans was mediated by AMPK and FOXO3a. Fungal β-d-glucans of the (1→3)-type are k...

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