text: Materials
  Water soluble phosphorylated beta-1-->3-D-glucan (GP) was prepared as done before [20]. The physicochemical characteristics of GP were determined as reported previously [20,26]. GP was dissolved in aqueous media, filter-sterilized (0.2 mum) and screened for endotoxin contamination with the Endospecy assay (Seigakaku, Tokyo, Japan), which is specific for endotoxin but does not respond to beta-1-->3-D-glucans. 
  