In-Vivo Study on Anxiolytic Effects of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Agaricus blazei Murill

Background: Anxiety involved panic attacks either having or not having social fear, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder as well as separation anxiety disorder is known to be marked mental diseases. It is related to high medical cost and a significant load of disease. Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM) is a mushroom and possesses immunemodulating and antimicrobial effects both in-vivo and in-vitro and as well as it has been used to treat cancer, hepatitis, dermatitis, and hyperlipidemia traditionally. Method: In this experiment evaluation of anxiolytic effect of AbM on mice has been done by using Elevated Plus Maze test, open field test and motor co-ordination test by rotarod. Mice (Mus musculus) weighing 22-25 grams, were divided into 4 groups (n=6). Oral administration of hydro-alcoholic extract of AbM was utilized in 2 doses i.e. 136.5 mg/kg and 273 mg/kg. Group, I received vehicle (distilled water 10 ml/kg), p.o. Group II received standard (diazepam 1 mg/kg), i.p. Group III and IV orally received hydro-alcoholic extract of AbM (136.5 mg/kg and 273 mg/kg, respectively). Result: In Elevated Plus Maze test, oral administration of hydro-alcoholic extract of AbM (136.5 mg/kg and 273 mg/kg, respectively) exhibited significant (p<0.01) elevation in the percentage of number of open arm entries (48.0 ± 1.1% and 48.93 ± 2.1% respectively) and time spent in open arm (14.92 ± 1.9% and 84.17 ± 2.4%). Conclusion: Hence it is concluded that hydro-alcoholic extract of AbM can be a new therapeutic agent to treat anxiety.

Immunity-enhancing effect of polysaccharide ABP-AW1 isolated from Agaricus blazei Murill on immunosuppressive mice / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To explore the immunity-enhancing effect of ABP-AW1, a low-molecular-mass polysaccharides isolated from Agaricus blazei Murill, on immunosuppressive mice. METHODS ICR mice were ip injected cyclophosphamide 80 mg · kg-1, once daily for 3 d, to establish an immuno?suppressive mouse model. Then, ABP-AW1125, 250 and 500 mg · kg-1 were ig given to the immuno?suppressive mice,respectively, once daily for 7 d. The mouse thymus index and spleen index were calcu?lated, and the phagocytic function of phagocytes was determined using carbon clearance test. Splenic lym?phocyte proliferation was measured by MTT method. The interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interferon γ (IFN-γ) production from splenic lymphocytes was examined by ELISA. The splenic lymphocyte CD4+/CD8+ratio was determined by flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS Compared with normal control group, the thymus index, spleen index and phagocytic index of phagocytes in the immunosuppressive model mice declined (P<0.05). ABP-AW1250 and 500 mg·kg-1 treatment significantly increased the thymus index, spleen index and phagocytic index in immunosuppressive mice (P<0.05). Compared with normal control group, concanavalin A (Con A) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced T and B lymphocyte proliferation, respectively, and IL-2 and IFN-γproduction from splenic lymphocytes in the immunosuppressive model mice was lower (P<0.05). Compared with model group, ABP-AW1250 and 500 mg·kg-1 promoted Con A and LPS induced T and B lymphocyte proliferation (P<0.05) , and elevated IL-2 and IFN-γ production from splenic lymphocytes (P<0.05). In addition, ABP-AW1250 and 500 mg·kg-1 reversed the decreased splenocyte CD4+/CD8+ratio in immunosuppressive model mice (P<0.05). CONCLUSION ABP-AW1 has immuneity-enhancing effect on cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressive mice.

Multi-Potential Cancer Preventive Efficacy and the Current Safety Status of Agaricus blazei Murill Products / 日本補完代替医療学会誌

<i>Agaricus blazei</i> Murill (ABM), widely known as “Himematsutake” in Japan, has been one of the most popular dietary supplements, especially among the aged-population. ABM has been traditionally used to treat age-related disease such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancers. Previously, ABM has been shown to have immunostimulatory, antioxidant, antimutagenic, and antitumorigenic properties. In contrast to antitumor effects in rodent tumor cell lines, ABM has only minimal to moderate antitumor effects in a few human cancer cell lines, and antitumor effects were thought to be attributed to a high molecular weight fraction containing highly branched β-glucans, while a low molecular weight fraction of ABM (ABM F500) is a very effective cancer preventive agent. The question of genetic toxicity with agaritine has been scrutinized by using the transgenic F344 rat LacI, a state-of-the-art mutagenicity testing system. Neither K-ABM nor agaritine proved mutagenic. Furthermore, expected DNA adducts (8-HMPdGuo and 8-HMPdAdo) with the postulated mutagenic metabolite 4-(methylhydroxy)phenylhydrazine (HMPD) of agaritine were not found. These new mutagenicity test results provide irrefutable evidence that the earlier positive Ames mutagenicity test results with K-ABM were in fact false positive. Thus, the most recent mutagenicity test results together with the 2-year chronic carcinogenic bioassay strongly suggest neither agaritine nor quality controlled ABM are mutagenic or carcinogenic. Clinical improvement of QOL among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy complimented by ABM consumption appears to be due to immunostimulation of immunosuppressed patients. Retrospective QOL analysis of 782 cancer patients further supports the thesis that ABM consumption improves QOL in cancer patients. Thus, it is reasonable to expect ABM treatment in combination with cancer chemotherapy may synergistically enhance the outcome of such chemotherapy. Complimentary clinical contribution of ABM to conventional therapy or type II diabetes is also expected. Further clinical studies are necessary to evaluate and validate the chemopreventive potential of ABM F500 as well as clinical merits of ABM as a complimentary medicine in cancer chemotherapy.<br>

Primary mechanism of apoptosis induction in a leukemia cell line by fraction FA-2-b-ß prepared from the mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill

Agaricus blazei Murill is a native Brazilian mushroom which functions primarily as an anticancer substance in transplanted mouse tumors. However, the mechanism underlying this function of A. blazei Murill remains obscure. The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of fraction FA-2-b-ß, an RNA-protein complex isolated from A. blazei Murill, on human leukemia HL-60 cells in vitro. Typical apoptotic characteristics were determined by morphological methods using DNA agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry. The growth suppressive effect of fraction FA-2-b-ß on HL-60 cells in vitro occurred in a dose- (5-80 mug/mL) and time-dependent (24-96 h) manner. The proliferation of HL-60 cells (1 x 10(5) cells/mL) treated with 40 mug/mL of fraction FA-2-b-ß for 24-96 h and with 5-80 mug/mL for 96 h resulted in inhibitory rates ranging from 8 to 54.5 percent, and from 4.9 to 86.3 percent, respectively. Both telomerase activity determined by TRAP-ELISA and mRNA expression of the caspase-3 gene detected by RT-PCR were increased in HL-60 cells during fraction FA-2-b-ß treatment. The rate of apoptosis correlated negatively with the decrease of telomerase activity (r = 0.926, P < 0.05), but correlated positively with caspase-3 mRNA expression (r = 0.926, P < 0.05). These data show that fraction FA-2-b-ß can induce HL-60 cell apoptosis and that the combined effect of down-regulation of telomerase activity and up-regulation of mRNA expression of the caspase-3 gene could be the primary mechanism of induction of apoptosis. These findings provide strong evidence that fraction FA-2-b-ß could be of interest for the clinical treatment of acute leukemia.

Action of lowering blood fat of Agaricus blazei Murill ?-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid on hyperlipemia rats and mice / 吉林大学学报(医学版)

Objective To observe the action of lowering blood fat of Agaricus blazei Murill ?-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid(?-6APFA) on hyperlipemia rats and mice.Methods Sixty rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,natural soybean phospholipids capsule(NSPC)0.70 g?kg~(-1) group,?-6APFA 0.28,(0.14,)0.07 g?kg~(-1) groups(n=10).The other groups except control group were given high-fat diets for 14 d,on the fourteenth day the rats were administered orally,the control group and model group were administered distilled water 10 mL?kg~(-1) at the same volume,14 days after continuous administration,rats were anesthetized,the blood were extracted from abdominal artery,T-CHO,TG,HDL-C,LDL-C in sera were determined. At the same time,the activity of SOD in liver and the content of MDA were determined,the fat accumulated coefficient was calculated.72 male mice were randomly divided into control group,model group,NSPC 1.0 g?kg~(-1) group,(?-6APFA)0.4,0.2,0.1 g?kg~(-1) groups(n=12).Mice were administered continuously,16 h before the last administration,except control group,the mice in the other groups were injected 75% yolk physiological salt solution 0.5 mL through the abdominal cavity,and began to starve,1 h after the last administration,blood was extracted from eyeball,serum T-CHO and TG were determined.Results Compared with model group,T-CHO and TG in rats treated with NSPC 0.70 g?kg~(-1) and ?-6APFA 0.28 g?kg~(-1) all reduced and HDL-C raised obviously(P0.01).)Compared with model mice,T-CHO and TG in acute hyperlipemia mice treated with NSPC 1.0 g?kg~(-1) and ?-6APFA0.4,0.2 g?kg~(-1) reduced obviously(P