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Of the trove of mushrooms that deliver protective properties to human health upon ingestion, the traditional medicinal mushroom, discovered in Brazil - Agaricus blazei Murill - has an affinity for nourishing the immune system. Agaricus blazei contains a high concentration of beta glucans, a type of polysaccharide. Researchers have shown that beta glucans enhance the vitality and activity of the immune system's natural killer cells.
In one study, researchers examined efficacy of Agaricus blazei (fraction H) on inducing cytokine activity on human peripheral mononuclear cells, and found that the mushroom extract induced IL-12 cytokine expression; IL-12 cytokine plays a key role in regulating cellular immune response. Additionally, the researchers noted that the mushroom boosted natural killer cell activity in the spleen.1
In certain cases, Agaricus blazei Murill may be applicable as a companion supplement for those who get vaccinated for disease prevention. For example, a recent study looking at the combined efficacy of DNA vaccine and agaricus extract on mice with foot-and-mouth disease, showed that Agaricus blazei Murill can enhance immune responses and efficacy of the vaccine. Specifically, according to the study authors, the mice that were given the FMDV DNA vaccine along with the agaricus extract exhibited significant increases in FMDV-specific antibody response as well as T-cell proliferation, when compared to the group that received only the vaccine.2
In Japan, according to one Japanese researcher, Agaricus blazei Murill is the most popular product, and it is taken by many cancer patients.3 There is an inter-dependent relationship between immune status and cancer development.
One study recently demonstrated that Agaricus blazei M possesses a potent anti-angiogenic phytochemical, sodium pyroglutamate, which was determined to exert a triple play of actions - immune-modulatory, anti-tumor and anti-metastatic - in tumor-bearing mice. The researchers previously demonstrated that the Agaricus phytochemical, ergosterol, inhibited new blood vessel growth (neovascularization) within tumors that allow tumors to sustain and grow.4
Agaricus blazei Murill is being investigated in many stages of cancer. One study sought to determine how consumption of this nutraceutical may affect quality of life and immune status in chemotherapy patients, notably women with endometrial, cervical or ovarian cancers. The researchers observed significantly higher NK cell activity following co-treatment with agaricus and carboplatin plus VP16 or agaricus with taxol and carboplatin, then with either pharmaceutical combination without agaricus.5
At the 43rd Annual Meeting of Japan Society of Clinical Oncology held in October 2005, researchers Higashi et al presented the findings of their clinical study that used Atlas World's Ekismate immune-support supplement containing Agaricus blazei Murill in cases of pain in cases of breast cancer. The researchers' findings suggest that the Agaricus extract reduces the pain associated with breast cancer and may be a viable substitute for the pharmaceuticals that impose side effects. In addition, the researchers noted the anti-tumor effect of the mushroom extract, as shown through tumor markers and image diagnosis.6
In an NIH-sponsored 20-week mouse study, aqueous extract of the fruit body of Agaricus blazei Murill supplied by Atlas World USA, Inc was evaluated in vivo in mice with skin tumors (papillomas) for anti-tumor-initiating and anti-tumor-initiating-promoting effect. The researchers determined that the Agaricus extract exhibited significant inhibition of tumor initiation and promotion steps. In both the anti-initiating and the anti-promoting assays, the extract treatment group showed decreased and delayed formation of papillomas and remarkably reduced number of papillomas per mouse compared to the control group, respectively.7
In conclusion, Agaricus blazei Murill may make a positive addition for clients who are concerned about maintaining a healthy immune status.
References:
1. IL-12 Production Induced by Agaricus blazei Fraction H (ABH) Involves Toll-like Receptor (TLR)
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2004 December; 1(3): 259-267.
2. Extract from Agaricus blazei Murill can enhance immune responses elicited by DNA vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease.
Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2005 Oct 4;
3. Complementary and Alternative Medicine: a Japanese Perspective
Nobutaka Suzuki
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2004 September; 1(2): 113-118.
4. Isolation of an anti-angiogenic substance from Agaricus blazei Murill: its antitumor and antimetastatic actions.
Cancer Sci. 2004 Sep;95(9):758-64.
5. Natural killer cell activity and quality of life were improved by consumption of a mushroom extract, Agaricus blazei Murill Kyowa, in gynecological cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2004 Jul-Aug;14(4):589-94.
6. 43rd Annual Meeting of Japan Society of Clinical Oncology (Oct 25 ~ 27, 2006, Nagoya, Japan)
7. . Cancer chemopreventive effect of Agaricus Blazei Murill ; Kozuka, M., et al. Sponsored by NIH. Natural Products Laboratory, School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill & Department of Biochemistry, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
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