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Recent
progress in immunopharmacology and therapeutic effects of polysaccharides
Chihara
G
Biotechnology
Research Center, Teikyo University, Kawasaki, Japan
Lentinan,
a (1----3)-beta-D-glucan with (1----6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside branches and its
related polysaccharides have marked antitumour activity in allogeneic, syngeneic
and autochthonous primary hosts, suppress chemical and viral oncogenesis, and
prevent cancer recurrence or metastasis after surgery.
Results of the clinical application of lentinan have proven prolongation of
life-span of the patients with advanced and recurrent stomach, colorectal and
breast cancer with only little toxic side effect.
These polysaccharides also increase host resistance to various kinds of
bacterial, viral and parasitic infections including AIDS.
Lentinan appears to
represent Host Defence Potentiators (HDPs), which can restore or augment the
ability of responsiveness of the host to lympho-cytokines or other intrinsic
bioactive factors through maturation, differentiation or proliferation of the
important cells for host defence mechanisms.
That is, HDPs might make the physiological constitution highly cancer and
infection-resistant, which may be a concept in Oriental Medicine, the
fundamental principle of which is to regulate homeostasis of the whole body and
to bring the diseased person to his normal state.
HDPs such as lentinan are the most appropriate drugs to prevent cancer
recurrence, or the manifestation of AIDS symptoms in HIV carriers.
PMID:
1426662 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1426662&dopt=Abstract
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