Abstract
Mushrooms have been consumed for their health benefits for thousands of years in China, and the main active component was recently identified as beta-glucan. The immune-stimulating effect of beta-glucans has been well studied, and several beta-glucan receptors have been identified on the surface of immune cells. In addition, mushroom extracts with high levels of beta-glucans have also been shown to have direct cytotoxic effects on cancer cells, and beta-glucans are used for the treatment of cancer. This review summarizes the use of beta-glucans in colon cancer. Evidence has supported the idea that beta-glucans can decrease the size of xenografted colon cancer tumors via the stimulation of the immune system and direct cytotoxicity. Beta-glucans can also have synergistic effects with chemotherapeutic agents and other immune stimulators, and an innovative strategy is to use beta-glucans to deliver nanoparticles containing chemotherapeutic agents to the site of the colon cancer and, thus, improve the therapeutic efficacy.
Keywords: Beta-glucans, macrophages, dendritic cells, cytotoxicity, nanoparticles.
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry
Title:The Application of Fungal Beta-glucans for the Treatment of Colon Cancer
Volume: 13 Issue: 5
Author(s): Jiezhong Chen, Xu Dong Zhang and Zhengyi Jiang
Affiliation:
Keywords: Beta-glucans, macrophages, dendritic cells, cytotoxicity, nanoparticles.
Abstract: Mushrooms have been consumed for their health benefits for thousands of years in China, and the main active component was recently identified as beta-glucan. The immune-stimulating effect of beta-glucans has been well studied, and several beta-glucan receptors have been identified on the surface of immune cells. In addition, mushroom extracts with high levels of beta-glucans have also been shown to have direct cytotoxic effects on cancer cells, and beta-glucans are used for the treatment of cancer. This review summarizes the use of beta-glucans in colon cancer. Evidence has supported the idea that beta-glucans can decrease the size of xenografted colon cancer tumors via the stimulation of the immune system and direct cytotoxicity. Beta-glucans can also have synergistic effects with chemotherapeutic agents and other immune stimulators, and an innovative strategy is to use beta-glucans to deliver nanoparticles containing chemotherapeutic agents to the site of the colon cancer and, thus, improve the therapeutic efficacy.
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Cite this article as:
Chen Jiezhong, Zhang Xu Dong and Jiang Zhengyi, The Application of Fungal Beta-glucans for the Treatment of Colon Cancer, Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry 2013; 13 (5) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1871520611313050007
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1871520611313050007 |
Print ISSN 1871-5206 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5992 |
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