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International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms

ISSN for PRINT: 1521-9437

Institutional price:	$538.00
Issues per year:	4

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2003, Volume5

92 pages

DOI: 10.1615/InterJMedicMush.v5.i4

Issue price - $128.00

Immunomodulating Activity of a b-Glucan Preparation, SCG, Extracted from a Culinary–Medicinal Mushroom, Sparassis crispa Wulf.:Fr. (Aphyllophoromycetideae), and Application to Cancer Patients

Naohito Ohno
Tokyo University Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Laboratory Immunopharmacological Microbiological Production, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan

Sachiko Nameda
Laboratory for Immunopharmacology of Microbial Products, School of Pharmacy, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0392, Japan

Toshie Harada
Laboratory for Immunopharmacology of Microbial Products, School of Pharmacy, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan

Noriko N. Miura
Laboratory for Immunopharmacology of Microbial Products, School of Pharmacy, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan

Yoshiyuki Adachi
Laboratory of Immunopharmacology of Microbial Products, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan

Mitsuhiro Nakajima
Minahealth Co. Ltd., Saitama, Japan

Kenshi Yoshida
Omotesando Yoshida Hospital, Kumamoto-city, Kumamoto, Japan

Hitoji Yoshida
Omotesando Yoshida Hospital, Kumamoto-city, Kumamoto, Japan

Toshiro Yadomae
Laboratory of Immunopharmacology of Microbial Products, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan

ABSTRACT

Sparassis crispa (SC) is culinary–medicinal mushroom recently cultivated in Japan, China, Germany, and the US. We purified a 6-branched 1.3-b-D-glucan preparation designated as SCG. SCG increased the number of leukocytes and enhanced the activity of leukocytes from various points of view, mainly analyzed in experimental animals. In the present study, the cytokine capacity of SCG was examined in healthy volunteers in vitro, and the following characteristics were studied: SCG enhanced cytokine synthesis of whole blood cell culture dose dependently. A complement fragment, C5a, was released by SCG dependently upon dose. And anti-SCG natural antibody was detected in human plasma. From these facts, SCG has the capacity to activate human leukocytes and related immune systems. In a clinical trial, powder of SC (300 mg/day) was given orally to several cancer patients (lung, stomach, colon, breast, ovarian, uterine, prostate, pancreas, liver) after one course of treatment of lymphocyte transfer immunotherapy and follow-up for several months. Performance status of 14 cases were monitored and 9 cases were improved as CR (4), PR (5), and NC (5). These facts strongly suggest that Sparassis crispa is a good source for cancer immunotherapy.