Mushroom, tea may fight breast cancer
By Sade Oguntola
MushroomA combination of the active ingredients in
mushrooms and green tea may help fight breast
cancer and extend survival time of people with cancer, two studies have shown.
Mushroom and green tea have long held a place in traditional medicine in Asia. Recent research has shown that both enhance the body’s immune function, according to studies by researchers at the Pharmanex BJ Clinical Pharmacology Centre in Beijing.
Tests show extracts from the mushroom (Phellinus linteus), a yellow tropical fungus which grows on the bark of dead mulberry trees, could lead to the development of new anti-cancer drugs.
Phellinus linteus has been shown in other research to effectively kill skin, lung and prostate cancer cells but this latest research on breast cancer cells is the first time scientists have managed to figure out just how the mushroom extract works.
Scientists looking at the effects of the mushroom extract on breast cancer cells in the laboratory now believe they understand how its anti-cancer properties work. Researchers based at the Methodist Research Institute in Indianapolis, USA, think that the mushroom could stop an enzyme called AKT from working. This enzyme is known to control signals that lead to cell growth and the development of new blood vessels, which are vital for cancer cell survival.
According to Dr Daniel Sliva, the lead researcher, scientists using various types of cancer cells recently investigated the anti-cancer properties of this type of mushroom. He said: “We saw a number of positive results from our investigation on aggressive human breast cancer cells, including a lower rate of uncontrolled growth of new cancer cells, suppression of their aggressive behaviour and the formation of fewer blood vessels that feed cancer cells essential nutrients.”
Dr Sliva, whose results are published in the British Journal of Cancer, said the extract might have a place alongside conventional cancer drugs and help develop new medicines or supplements because the extract reduced uncontrolled growth of new cancer cells, suppressed their aggressive behavior and blocked new tumor-feeding blood vessels.
However, he urged people not to buy the extract until further tests show it to be safe and effective, saying there were also concerns that some powders are of poor quality or even dangerous.
At present, it is unclear if the treatment could be used to treat cancer. This is because the extract was applied directly to the cancer cells, and it is not known if the effects would be the same if the extract was delivered through other routes (e.g. orally).
Meanwhile, there are also indications that combining the active ingredients in the mushroom and the tea creates synergetic effects in help in slow down the growth of cancer cells and delayed the time of death of those affected by cancers too.
The researchers injected mice with cancer cells and then gave them extracts of the mushroom or a combination of the mushroom extract and a brand of green tea so as to look at how this will impact on cancer treatment. All the mice eventually died, but the ones that received the combination treatment lived longer.
In the second study designed to look at cancer prevention, groups of health mice were given low, medium or high doses of the mushroom extract or low, medium or high doses of a combination of the mushroom extract and green tea. After 14 days of treatment, the mice were injected with cancer cells. The treatment then continued for another 14 days.
The cancer weight was reduced by 45 per cent with the combination therapy, but in a much lesser degree with only the mushroom extract, compared to cancer cells in mice receiving no treatment, further confirming the synergy of the two together they stated at the Experimental Biology 2008 meeting in San Diego. The presentation was part of the scientific programme of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).
Senior author of the paper, Dr. Jia-Shi Zhu of Pharmanex research Institute in Provo, Utah, said these findings suggested the therapeutic values of the combined use of the substances in both cancer prevention and adjuvant treatment.
One more extract found useful in preventing breast cancer was Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) consumed either as a vegetable (macerated leaves in soup) or aqueous extracts as tonic for the treatment of various illnesses in Nigeria.
According to the research published in the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine, it was suggested that the vegetable, if incorporated in the diet, might prevent or delay the onset of breast cancer.
Ernest B. Izevbigie and colleagues found that the aqueous extract of bitter leaf hinders the increase of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) human breast cancer cells in the laboratory.
Up till now, studies show these mushrooms benefit people stricken with a variety of ailments, from high blood pressure to HIV/AIDS, boost the immune system, fight cancer, ward off heart diseases, calm the nerves and relieve both allergies and inflammation Rebecca Wood in her book “New Whole Foods Encyclopedia” also wrote.
Mushroom like fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and broccoli scientists have shown to have high antioxidant content.
The study from Pennsylvania State University showed white button mushrooms to be the richest source of ergothioneine, an antioxidant. The sought after super-antioxidant is present in mushrooms at 12 times the levels of wheat germ –– once thought to be the highest natural source of ergothioneine.
The new study, published in the latest Journal of Nutrition that suggest that mushroom may also be able to boost both innate and acquired immune system health is the first published study showing effect of white button mushrooms on immune function.
The innate immune system refers to the immune system we are born with, and is the body’s first line of defence. The acquired immune system comes into action if a pathogen can get past the innate system and tailor the immune response specifically to deal with the invading organism.
The researchers based on these results suggested that increased intake of white button mushrooms may promote innate immunity against tumours and viruses through the enhancement of a key component, NK activity
Before now, common mushroom varieties researchers had said offer significant amounts of heart healthy fibres. The researchers that investigated the carbohydrate content of mushrooms at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that the six mushroom varieties tested - in raw and cooked forms and at various harvest times and maturity levels - are rich in cholesterol-lowering chitin and the heart healthy beta-glutan.
The findings, published in an early online edition of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, could help health food makers looking for a natural source of heart health fibres. |
