Anticancer Characteristics of Fomitopsis pinicola Extract in a Xenograft Mouse Model-a Preliminary Study.

Introduction: Medicinal mushrooms have been used for the treatment of diseases and general promotion of health for many centuries. Recent pharmacological research into medicinal mushrooms has identified various therapeutic properties, with applications in modern medicine.Aim: To evaluate the anti-cancer activities of Fomitopsis pinicola (F. pinicola) alcoholic extract in an in vivo setting.Methods: The anti-tumour effect of the F. pinicola extract was tested in a xenograft immune-compromised Rag-1 mouse model. This was followed by RT-PCR and metabolomics analyses.Results: There were no observable differences in tumor growth between treated and non-treated groups. The bioactive components were not detected in the mouse plasma or the tumor site.Conclusions: The extract was poorly absorbed; this is likely due to the timing of treatment, dosage levels and modifications made to the extract where the alcohol-based solvent was replaced with water. This, in combination with fractionation studies which identified most anti-cancer compounds to be hydrophobic, largely explained the lack of anti-cancer activities in vivo.

Identification of Potential Anticancer Activities of Novel Ganoderma lucidum Extracts Using Gene Expression and Pathway Network Analysis.

Ganoderma lucidum (lingzhi) has been used for the general promotion of health in Asia for many centuries. The common method of consumption is to boil lingzhi in water and then drink the liquid. In this study, we examined the potential anticancer activities of G. lucidum submerged in two commonly consumed forms of alcohol in East Asia: malt whiskey and rice wine. The anticancer effect of G. lucidum, using whiskey and rice wine-based extraction methods, has not been previously reported. The growth inhibition of G. lucidum whiskey and rice wine extracts on the prostate cancer cell lines, PC3 and DU145, was determined. Using Affymetrix gene expression assays, several biologically active pathways associated with the anticancer activities of G. lucidum extracts were identified. Using gene expression analysis (real-time polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR]) and protein analysis (Western blotting), we confirmed the expression of key genes and their associated proteins that were initially identified with Affymetrix gene expression analysis.

From 2000years of Ganoderma lucidum to recent developments in nutraceuticals.

Medicinal mushrooms have been used for centuries as nutraceuticals to improve health and to treat numerous chronic and infectious diseases. One such mushroom is Ganoderma lucidum, commonly known as Lingzhi, a species revered as a medicinal mushroom for treating assorted diseases and prolonging life. The fungus is found in diverse locations, and this may have contributed to confusion regarding the correct taxonomic classification of the genus Ganoderma. G. lucidum was first used to name a specimen found in England and thereafter was naively applied to a different Ganoderma species found in Asia, commonly known as Chinese Lingzhi. Despite the taxonomic confusion, which has largely been uncorrected, the popularity of Lingzhi has escalated across the globe. The current taxonomic situation is now discussed accurately in this Special Issue on Ganoderma. Today it is a multi-billion dollar industry wherein Lingzhi is cultivated or collected from the wild and consumed as a tea, in alcoholic beverages, and as a nutraceutical to confer numerous health benefits. Consumption of nutraceuticals has grown in popularity, and it is becoming increasingly important that active ingredients be identified and that suppliers make substantiated health claims about their products. The objective of this article is to present a review of G. lucidum over the past 2000 years from prized ancient "herbal" remedy to its use in nutraceuticals and to the establishment of a 2.5 billion $ (US) industry.

Protective effect of antioxidant supplementation in sperm-preparation medium against oxidative stress in human spermatozoa.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is associated with an impaired fertilization ability of spermatozoa. We investigated the effects of adding antioxidants to a sperm preparation medium on the functional parameters of the spermatozoa. METHODS: Spermatozoa were washed with Ham's F-10 media containing the antioxidants, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and catalase, at various concentrations, and then the ROS levels in sperm suspensions, and the forward motility, acrosome reaction, DNA integrity and lipid peroxidation of the spermatozoa were assessed. RESULTS: The ROS levels were significantly lower in sperm suspensions washed with the antioxidants (196 approximately 312 rlu; relative light units) than in control sperm (604 rlu, P < 0.05). The addition of 10 microM EDTA to the sperm preparation medium significantly improved the motility of the spermatozoa compared with the control group, the groups containing EDTA at other concentrations and the groups containing catalase. Catalase significantly increased the acrosome reaction rate of the spermatozoa. Both EDTA and catalase significantly decreased the DNA fragmentation rate of the spermatozoa. However, the antioxidants did not reduce lipid peroxidation. CONCLUSIONS: Supplementing sperm preparation medium with EDTA or catalase significantly improved the overall functional parameters of the spermatozoa by reducing the ROS levels.

The suitability and efficiency of human follicular fluid as a protein supplement in human in vitro fertilization programs.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the suitability and efficiency of human follicular fluid (HFF) as a protein supplement in human IVF programs. DESIGN: Comparative study of the effects of HFF and other protein supplements on the in vitro development of mouse oocytes and on the pregnancy rate in human IVF programs. SETTING: In Vitro Fertilization Center, Hanna Women's Clinic, Seoul, Korea. PATIENT(S): Three hundred twenty-seven patients (388 cycles) who were down-regulated with GnRH agonist and stimulated with hMG. INTERVENTION(S): The suitability was evaluated with the results of animal studies and the efficiency of HFF was investigated with the results of human IVF programs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Meiotic maturation of mouse oocytes, development of mouse embryos, morphological grades of human embryos, pregnancy rate in human IVF programs, and electrophoresis. RESULT(S): Human follicular fluid significantly stimulated meiotic resumption in mouse oocytes, even in the presence of meiotic inhibitors, and enhanced the developmental potential of mouse embryos in vitro. Compared with human fetal cord serum, human follicular fluid also improved the morphological grade of human embryos by reducing cytoplasmic fragmentation. In conventional IVF cycles of human IVF programs, use of HFF significantly increased the clinical PR (109/234 cycles, 46.5%; P < .05), compared with use of human fetal cord serum (14/52 cycles, 26.9%). However, in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles, there was no difference in PRs between use of HFF (38/85 cycles, 44.7%) and use of human fetal cord serum (7/17 cycles, 41.1%). When the protein compositions of human fetal cord serum and HFF were investigated by electrophoresis, a protein of 21 kD was detected specifically in HFF. CONCLUSION(S): Human follicular fluid is suitable for use as a protein supplement and is effective in increasing the pregnancy rate in human IVF programs.

Galloylpaeoniflorin, a new acylated monoterpene glucoside from paeony root.

A new acylated monoterpene glucoside, galloylpaeoniflorin, was isolated from Paeony root. The structure was determined by chemical and spectroscopic methods.

Unsuppressed prolactin secretion in the male rat is pulsatile.

The pattern of prolactin (Prl) secretion was studied in several different situations. In normal and castrated male rats, the plasma Prl level gently fluctuated along the course of time. When the presumed hypothalamic Prl inhibitory factor was suppressed by treatment with a pharmacological agent, pimozide (Pim), the plasma Prl concentration was elevated and the elevated plasma level fluctuated in an irregular and pulsatile manner. Another situation was examined. First, baseline Prl concentration was elevated by implantation of estradiol, which also caused a moderate fluctuation of the circulating Prl level. The Prl level was then lowered from the elevated plateau level by administration of a dopaminergic receptor agonist, ergocristine. During this partial blockade, the plasma Prl level fluctuated in episodic bursts. It is suggested that the inherent, unsuppressed secretion of Prl is pulsatile in nature, but that this pulsatile pattern is normally suppressed under the inhibiting influence of the hypothalamus.

The effect of exposure to ether on prolactin secretion and the half-life of endogenous prolactin in normal and castrated male rats.

Normal and castrated male rats implanted with permanent right atrial cannulae were used, and sequential blood samples were taken every 2 min through the cannula. When the rats, both normal and castrated, were exposed to ether for 2 min, the prolactin (Prl) concentration in plasma was immediately and dramatically elevated. During 40 min of continuous ether anesthesia, plasma Prl concentration was not sustained. After the initial 'surge' of Prl secretion, which lasted about 15 min, the concentration returned to normal levels. Following the peak of the Prl 'surge', Prl disappeared from the circulation with a calculated half-life of 7 min (mean value: 6.9 min; confidence interval: 6.3-7.7).