Abstract
Coriolus versicolor (L.) Quél. is a higher fungi or mushroom which is now known by its accepted scientific name as Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd (family Polyporaceae). The polysaccharides, primarily two commercial products from China and Japan as PSP and PSK, respectively, have been claimed to serve as adjuvant therapy for cancer. In this paper, research advances in this field, including direct cytotoxicity in cancer cells and immunostimulatory effects, are scrutinised at three levels: in vitro, in vivo and clinical outcomes. The level of activity in the various cancers, key targets (both in cancer and immune cells) and pharmacological efficacies are discussed.
Highlights
According to the recent WHO figure [1], cancer is the second most leading cause of mortality in the world and accounts for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018
The complexity of C. versicolor can be seen from the detailed structural analysis, as shown for Polysaccharide peptide (PSP)-1b1 backbone by Wang et al [10] as follows: “→4)-α-Galp-(1→4)-α-Galp-(1→2)-α-Manp(1→4)-α-Galp-(1→2)-α-Manp-(1→4)-α-Galp-(1→4)-α-Galp-(1→2)-α-Manp-(1→4)-α-Galp-(1→2)-αManp-(1→4)→, with branches of α-1,6-Manp, β-1,6-Glcp, β-1,3,6-Glcp, α-1,3-Manp, α-1,6-Galp, α-1,3-Fucp, T-α-Glcp and T-α-Galp on the O-6 position of α-Manp of the main chain, and secondary branches linked to the O-6 position of β-Glcp (β-glucose-pyranose(p)) of the major branch.”
A great deal of attention has been given to medicinal mushrooms in recent years, with emphasis to their polysaccharide-active components
Summary
According to the recent WHO figure [1], cancer is the second most leading cause of mortality in the world and accounts for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Doxorubicin, daunomycin, mitomycin C, and bleomycin are good representative examples of anti-cancer agents explored from fungal sources, Streptomyces In addition to their nutritional value, medicinal mushrooms have emerged in recent years as a source of drugs and as adjuvants to conventional chemo- or radiation-therapy to either enhance their potency or reduce their side effects ( see [2] and references therein). Its medicinal value as part of the Chinese traditional medicine dates back for at least 2000 years and includes general health-promoting effects [4], including endurance and longevity.
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