Lentinan
Encyclopedia
Lentinan is a beta-glucan
with a glycosidic β-1,3:β-1,6 linkage. It is an anti-tumor polysaccharide
from the shiitake
(Lentinula edodes) mushroom. Lentinan is a polysaccharide that has a molecular weight of approximately 500,000 Da. The Japanese pharmaceutical company Ajinomoto
developed Lentinan, which is an intravenously administered anti-cancer agent.http://kcl.academia.edu/RichardSullivan/Books/259287/Medicinal_Mushrooms_Their_therapeutic_properties_and_current_medical_usage_with_special_emphasis_on_cancer_treatments
Lentinan is one of the host-mediated anti-cancer drugs which has been shown to affect host defense immune systems.
experiment showed lentinan stimulated production of white blood cells in the human cell line U937.
A pharmacological blend (MC-S) of lentinan, PSK
, Ganoderma lucidum and Astragalus propinquus
has also been shown to stimulate white blood cell production in vitro.
An in vivo
experiment on mice, revealed lentinan is orally active (since clinical use of the drug is administered through an IV).
Limited clinical studies of cancer patients have associated lentinan with a higher survival rate, higher quality of life, and lower re-occurrence of cancer.
Beta-glucan
β-Glucans are polysaccharides of D-glucose monomers linked by β-glycosidic bonds. β-glucans are a diverse group of molecules that can vary with respect to molecular mass, solubility, viscosity, and three-dimensional configuration...
with a glycosidic β-1,3:β-1,6 linkage. It is an anti-tumor polysaccharide
Polysaccharide
Polysaccharides are long carbohydrate molecules, of repeated monomer units joined together by glycosidic bonds. They range in structure from linear to highly branched. Polysaccharides are often quite heterogeneous, containing slight modifications of the repeating unit. Depending on the structure,...
from the shiitake
Shiitake
The Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
(Lentinula edodes) mushroom. Lentinan is a polysaccharide that has a molecular weight of approximately 500,000 Da. The Japanese pharmaceutical company Ajinomoto
Ajinomoto
Ajinomoto Co. Inc. , is a Japanese food and chemical corporation which produces seasonings, cooking oils, TV dinners, sweeteners, amino acids and pharmaceuticals...
developed Lentinan, which is an intravenously administered anti-cancer agent.http://kcl.academia.edu/RichardSullivan/Books/259287/Medicinal_Mushrooms_Their_therapeutic_properties_and_current_medical_usage_with_special_emphasis_on_cancer_treatments
Lentinan is one of the host-mediated anti-cancer drugs which has been shown to affect host defense immune systems.
Research into the effects of Lentinan
Lentinex is a formulation featuring lentinan and is approved for use in the EU. An in vitroIn vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
experiment showed lentinan stimulated production of white blood cells in the human cell line U937.
A pharmacological blend (MC-S) of lentinan, PSK
Polysaccharide-K
Polysaccharide-K is a protein-bound polysaccharide, which is used as an immune system boosting agent in the treatment of cancer in some countries in Europe as well as China and Japan. In Japan, PSK is approved as an adjuvant for cancer therapy and is covered by government health insurance...
, Ganoderma lucidum and Astragalus propinquus
Astragalus propinquus
Astragalus propinquus also known as huáng qí or běi qí , huáng hua huáng qí , is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a perennial plant and it is not listed as being threatened.- Herbalism :A...
has also been shown to stimulate white blood cell production in vitro.
An in vivo
In vivo
In vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
experiment on mice, revealed lentinan is orally active (since clinical use of the drug is administered through an IV).
Limited clinical studies of cancer patients have associated lentinan with a higher survival rate, higher quality of life, and lower re-occurrence of cancer.
Further reading
- Chihara, G. et al. ”Fractionation and purification of the polysaccharides with marked antitumor activity, especially lentinan, from Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Sing. (an edible mushroom)”, Cancer Research (1970),30(11):2776-2781.
- Ina, K. et al. “Lentinan prolonged survival in patients with gastric cancer receiving S-1-based chemotherapy”, World Journal of Clinical Oncology (2011),2(10):339-343.
External links
- Lentinan effects (antitumor and others)
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's page for Lentinan.
- About Shiitake (by Solomon P. Wasser, 2005)
- Smith JE, Rowan NJ, Sullivan R Medicinal Mushrooms: Their Therapeutic Properties and Current Medical Usage with Special Emphasis on Cancer Treatments Cancer Research UKCancer Research UKCancer Research UK is a cancer research and awareness charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Its aim is to reduce the number of deaths from cancer. As the world's largest independent cancer...
, 2001