Beneficial Effects of Mushrooms, Edible and Medicinal, on Health Care

An Extract of the Mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill Administered Orally Protects Against Systemic Streptococcus pneumoniae Infection in Mice

“…Medicinal mushrooms [1,2] have been used in Asian culture for more than 3000 years. Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM) of the family Basidiomycetes is a very popular edible medicinal mushroom, which has been cultivated especially for the Japanese health food market.…”

Therapy of Myeloma In Vivo Using Marine Phospholipid in Combination with Agaricus blazei Murill as an Immune Respond Activator

“…Moreover, oral administration of b-glucan reduced peritoneally disseminated metastasis in a mouse model using human ovarian cancer HRA cells and 3LL lung cancer in mice 46) . Furthermore, epidemiological studies from selected area in Japan and Brazil suggest that prolonged consumption of the medicinal mushrooms Flammulina velutipes and A. blazei were associated with lower overall rates of cancer mortality 47) . The oral administration of A. blazei extract and/or marine phospholipid had no effect on body weight gain in myeloma-bearing mice.…”

Biosynthesis, Purification and Biotechnological Use of Exopolysaccharides Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria

“…All mice were injected with a strong carcinogen, methyl-cholanthrene, and carcinogenesis was investigated. The results obtained allowed to the authors to conclude that the mechanism of prevention and inhibition of carcinogenesis was due to immunopotentiation (Ikekawa, 2001). Therefore, (1,3) β-glucan produced by LAB and their producing strains have potential as immunomodulators.…”

“…It is well established that the structural composition offers a higher capacity for carrying biological information, because they have a greater potential for structural variability, specially related to the triple-helical tertiary conformation (Yanaki et al, 1983). A good example of a preventive effect is given by a Japanese study on their popular edible and medicinal mushroom Hypsizygus marmoreus (Ikekawa, 2001). In this study mice were divided into two groups: untreated and treated with a diet containing 5% of the dried fruiting body of H. marmoreus.…”