Effect of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) D-Fraction on the Activation of NK Cells in Cancer Patients

Abstract

Maitake D-Fraction, extracted from maitake mushroom, has been reported to exert its antitumor effect in tumor-bearing mice by enhancing the immune system through activation of macrophages, T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. In a previous study, the combination of immunotherapy with the maitake D-Fraction and chemotherapy suggested that the D-Fraction may have the potential to decrease the size of lung, liver, and breast tumors in cancer patients. In the present study, we administered maitake D-Fraction to cancer patients without anticancer drugs, and at the same time NK cell activity was monitored to investigate whether the activity is closely related with disease progression. The numbers of CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells in the peripheral blood were measured in 10 patients, and NK cell activity was assessed using K-562 cells as target cells. Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels in three patients and the expression of tumor markers in four patients were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The slight changes observed in the CD4(+) and CD8(+) cell numbers were independent of disease severity or stage as well as serum sIL-2R levels. In contrast, maitake D-Fraction hindered metastatic progress, lessened the expression of tumor markers, and increased NK cell activity in all patients examined. Thus maitake D-Fraction appears to repress cancer progression and primarily exerts its effect through stimulation of NK activity. In addition, we conclude that measurement of NK cell activity may be a useful clinical parameter in monitoring disease progression during and following immunotherapy with maitake D-Fraction.

Evaluation of Bioactivities and Phenolic Content of Selected Edible Mushrooms in Malaysia

“…For instance, a ubiquitin-like protease isolated from the fruiting bodies of Calvatia caelata, as well as lectine extracted from edible Agaricus bisporus, were found to exhibit cytostatic activity against tumor cells [3]. More concrete evidence have been provided by clinical trials using extracts of Grifola frondosa [4], as well as polysaccharides isolated from Ganoderma lucidum [5] and Trametes versicolor [6]. Treatment groups given extracts from the aforementioned medicinal mushrooms were found to demonstrate decreased expression of tumor markers [4], increased natural killer (NK) cells activities [5] and higher survival rate [6], compared to control groups.…”

Recent advances in oral vaccine development

“…Supplementing chemotherapy treatment with β-glucans from Grifola frondosa-extracted Maitake D-Fraction resulted in decreased lung, liver, and breast tumor sizes in 60% of the patients as compared with chemotherapy alone. 76 Similarly, combining Schizophyllan (derived from Schizophyllan commune) with conventional chemotherapy improved the long-term survival rate in patients with ovarian cancer.…”

Anticancer Effect of Phellinus linteus; Potential Clinical Application in Treating Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

“…NK cells are especially known for their ability to lyse a variety of tumor cells by exocytosis of perforincontaining granules, subsequently forming lytic pores by perforin on the target cell membrane. In addition, NK cells are responsible for early inhibitory effects on tumor growth and for long-term tumorsuppressive effects [20,21].The importance of innate immunity in pancreatic cancer was recently reiterated by the strong correlation between the absolute numbers of NK cells circulating in patients before chemotherapy and survival and progression-free interval. The average percentage of NK cells before therapy positively correlated with NK cytotoxic lytic units, suggesting that cytotoxic functions of NK cells are important in pancreatic cancer [22].This suggests that PL-induced immunomodulation, especially regarding NK cell activity, needs to be further evaluated in treating cancer patients.…”