Inhibitory effect of Agaricu blazei Murill components on abnormal collagen fiber formation in human hepatocarcinoma cells

Dietary Natural Products for Prevention and Treatment of Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is the most common malignancy of the digestive system with high death rate. Accumulating evidences suggests that many dietary natural products are potential sources for prevention and treatment of liver cancer, such as grapes, black currant, plum, pomegranate, cruciferous vegetables, French beans, tomatoes, asparagus, garlic, turmeric, ginger, soy, rice bran, and some edible macro-fungi. These dietary natural products and their active components could affect the development and progression of liver cancer in various ways, such as inhibiting tumor cell growth and metastasis, protecting against liver carcinogens, immunomodulating and enhancing effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. This review summarizes the potential prevention and treatment activities of dietary natural products and their major bioactive constituents on liver cancer, and discusses possible mechanisms of action.

Immunomodulatory effects of the Agaricus blazei Murrill-based mushroom extract AndoSan in patients with multiple myeloma undergoing high dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation: a randomized, double blinded clinical study

Forty patients with multiple myeloma scheduled to undergo high dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell support were randomized in a double blinded fashion to receive adjuvant treatment with the mushroom extract AndoSan, containing 82% of Agaricus blazei Murrill (19 patients) or placebo (21 patients). Intake of the study product started on the day of stem cell mobilizing chemotherapy and continued until the end of aplasia after high dose chemotherapy, a period of about seven weeks. Thirty-three patients were evaluable for all study endpoints, while all 40 included patients were evaluable for survival endpoints. In the leukapheresis product harvested after stem cell mobilisation, increased percentages of Treg cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells were found in patients receiving AndoSan. Also, in this group, a significant increase of serum levels of IL-1ra, IL-5, and IL-7 at the end of treatment was found. Whole genome microarray showed increased expression of immunoglobulin genes, Killer Immunoglobulin Receptor (KIR) genes, and HLA genes in the Agaricus group. Furthermore, AndoSan displayed a concentration dependent antiproliferative effect on mouse myeloma cells in vitro. There were no statistically significant differences in treatment response, overall survival, and time to new treatment. The study was registered with Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00970021.

4-Hydroxy-17-methylincisterol from Agaricus blazei Decreased Cytokine Production and Cell Proliferation in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells via Inhibition of NF-AT and NF-κB Activation

Agaricus blazei Murill is an edible and medicinal mushroom. In the previous study, we have proved that extracts of A. blazei inhibit human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation activated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Currently, we purified 4-hydroxy-17-methylincisterol (4-HM; C21H33O3) from A. blazei investigated its regulatory effects on cytokine productions and cell proliferation of PBMC induced by PHA. The results indicated that 4-HM suppressed, in activated PBMC, the production and mRNA expression of interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, tumor necrosis factor- α , and interferon- γ in a concentration-dependent manner. This inhibition was not related to cell viability. While 4-HM did not affect ERK phosphorylation and its downstream c-fos gene expression in PBMC induced by PHA, it decreased both NF-AT and NF- κ B activation. The upstream signaling of NF-AT and NF- κ B, intracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca(2+)]i), and protein kinase C theta (PKC θ ) activation in PHA-treated PBMC were reduced by 4-HM. The data demonstrated that the suppressant effects of 4-HM on cell proliferation in PBMC activated by PHA appeared to be mediated, at least in part, through inhibition of Ca(2+) mobilization and PKC θ activation, NF-AT and NF- κ B activation, and cytokine transcripts and productions of PBMC. We suggested that A. blazei contained a potential immunomodulator 4-HM.

Leishmanicidal activity of the Agaricus blazei Murill in different Leishmania species

Leishmaniasis is a major public health problem, and the alarming spread of parasite resistance underlines the importance of discovering new therapeutic products. The present study aims to investigate the in vitro leishmanicidal activity of an Agaricus blazei Murill mushroom extract as compared to different Leishmania species and stages. The water extract proved to be effective against promastigote and amastigote-like stages of Leishmania amazonensis, L. chagasi, and L. major, with IC(50) (50% inhibitory concentration) values of 67.5, 65.8, and 56.8 μg/mL for promastigotes, and 115.4, 112.3, and 108.4 μg/mL for amastigotes-like respectively. The infectivity of the three Leishmania species before and after treatment with the water extract was analyzed, and it could be observed that 82%, 57%, and 73% of the macrophages were infected with L. amazonensis, L. major, and L. chagasi, respectively. However, when parasites were pre-incubated with the water extract, and later used to infect macrophages, they were able to infect only 12.7%, 24.5%, and 19.7% of the phagocytic cells for L. amazonensis, L. chagasi, and L. major, respectively. In other experiments, macrophages were infected with L. amazonensis, L. chagasi, or L. major, and later treated with the aforementioned extract, presented reductions of 84.4%, 79.6%, and 85.3% in the parasite burden after treatment. A confocal microscopy revealed the loss of the viability of the parasites within the infected macrophages after treatment with the water extract. The applied extract presented a low cytotoxicity in murine macrophages and a null hemolytic activity in type O(+) human red blood cells. No nitric oxide (NO) production, nor inducible nitric oxide syntase expression, could be observed in macrophages after stimulation with the water extract, suggesting that biological activity may be due to direct mechanisms other than macrophage activation by means of NO production. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that the A. blazei Murill water extract can potentially be used as a therapeutic alternative on its own, or in association with other drugs, to treat Visceral and Cutaneous Leishmaniasis.