Improvement of refractory schizophrenia on using Amyloban®3399 extracted from Hericium erinaceum

Abstract

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is considered as a very promising candidate in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease [1]. However, NGF is a protein that becomes inactive after oral administration. A breakthrough in treatment occurred with the discovery of a class of compounds derived from the Lion’s Mane mushroom (Yamabushitake, Hericium erinaceum), which stimulate the production of NGF [2,3]. Bioactive substances in H. erinaceum including hericenones, have the potential to repair neurological damage, improve brain function, and possibly prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease. If the substances in H. erinaceum are able to cross the bloodebrain barrier, then NGF may act to repair neuronal function. Since early 1990s, Kawagishi and colleagues have been investigating the role of compounds derived from H. erinaceum in the treatment of dementia [4e6]. They found that H. erinaceum exhibited important bioactive properties, including the induction of NGF synthesis, inhibition of the cytotoxicity of amyloid beta peptide, and protection against neuronal cell death caused by oxidative or endoplasmic stress.