Polysaccharide from lentinus edodes for integrative cancer treatment: immunomodulatory effects on lymphocyte population

WCRJ 2016; 3 (1): e652

  Topic: Complementary and alternative medicine, Immunoncology     Category:

Abstract

Background: Fungal alpha and beta-glucans have been used as therapeutic support for thousands of years in Eastern culture. Lentinan, the backbone of beta-(1, 3)-glucan with beta-(1, 6) branch es, is the main ingredient purified from Shiitake mushrooms and has been approved as a biological response modifier for the treatment of gastric cancer in Japan. Active Hexose Correlated Compound (AHCC) is an alpha-glucan rich nutritional supplement derived from the mycelia of shiitake (Lentinula edodes) of the basidiomycete family of mushrooms, a popular integrative medicine in Japan. Lentinan may exert a synergistic action with anti-cancer monoclonal antibodies to modulate complement systems activity through the way of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and complement dependent cytotoxicity.

Patients and Methods: Seven subjects with adenocarcinoma diagnosis (pancreatic, lung, colorectal) were recruited, and treated with AHCC (3 g/die).

Lymphocyte typing assays were performed by cytofluorometry (Abbott CELL-DYN Ruby) at start (T0) and after one month from AHCC administration (T1).

Results: After one month, neutrophils increased from 41% to 54%; lymphocytes and monocytes decreased, respectively, from 45% to 30% and 10% to 1%; lymphocyte population relationships variations: CD3/CD4 increased from 16% to 30%, CD3/CD8 (suppressor) decreased from 53% to 24%; CD4/CD8 increased from 0.3% to 1.3%; CD3+/CD16+/CD56 Natural Killer (NK) cells increased from 113% to 151%; CD8/CD3 (suppressor/cytotoxic) increased from 3% to 5%.

Conclusion: Results showed that immunological effects provided by alpha-glucans, a possible mode of action of lentinan (not only beta-glucan mediated), should enable us to use lentinan more efficiently in the treatment of cancer, and its clinical application, including future potential uses of alpha and beta glucans association.

To cite this article

Polysaccharide from lentinus edodes for integrative cancer treatment: immunomodulatory effects on lymphocyte population

WCRJ 2016; 3 (1): e652

Publication History

Submission date: 26 Feb 2016

Revised on: 03 Mar 2016

Accepted on: 21 Mar 2016

Published online: 31 Mar 2016