Medicinal Mushroom Supplements in Cancer: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patients seek clinical guidance on mushroom supplements that can be given alongside conventional treatments, but most research on such fungi has been preclinical. The current systematic review focused on clinical studies of mushrooms in cancer care conducted in the past 10 years. We searched Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Scopus (Wiley), and Cochrane Library to identify all mushroom studies conducted in humans published from January 2010 through December 2020. Two authors independently assessed papers for inclusion. RECENT FINDINGS: Of 136 clinical studies identified by screening 2349, 39 met inclusion criteria. The studies included 12 different mushroom preparations. A survival benefit was reported using Huaier granules (Trametes robiniophila Murr) in 2 hepatocellular carcinoma studies and 1 breast cancer study. A survival benefit was also found in 4 gastric cancer studies using polysaccharide-K (polysaccharide-Kureha; PSK) in the adjuvant setting. Eleven studies reported a positive immunological response. Quality-of-life (QoL) improvement and/or reduced symptom burden was reported in 14 studies using various mushroom supplements. Most studies reported adverse effects of grade 2 or lower, mainly nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle pain. Limitations included small sample size and not using randomized controlled trial design. Many of the reviewed studies were small and observational. Most showed favorable effects of mushroom supplements in reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy, improving QoL, favorable cytokine response, and possibly better clinical outcomes. Nevertheless, the evidence is inconclusive to recommend the routine use of mushrooms for cancer patients. More trials are needed to explore mushroom use during and after cancer treatment.

The mycelium of the Trametes versicolor synn. Coriolus versicolor (Turkey tail mushroom) exhibit anti-melanoma activity in vitro.

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer and is characterized by high metastatic potential. Despite improvements in early diagnosis and treatment, the mortality rate among metastatic melanoma patients continues to represent a significant clinical challenge. Therefore, it is imperative that we search for new forms of treatment. Trametes versicolor is a mushroom commonly used in Chinese traditional medicine due to its numerous beneficial properties. In the present work, we demonstrate T. versicolor fruiting body and mycelium ethanol extracts exhibit potent cytotoxic activity towards A375 (IC50 = 663.3 and 114.5 µg/mL respectively) and SK-MEL-5 (IC50 = 358.4 and 88.6 µg/mL respectively) human melanoma cell lines. Further studies revealed that T. versicolor mycelium extract induced apoptotic cell death and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, upregulated the expression of autophagy-associated marker LC3-II, increased the presentation of major histocompatibility complex II and expression of programmed death-ligand receptor, and inhibited cell migration in SK-MEL-5 cells. Therefore, our present findings highlight the therapeutic potential of T. versicolor mycelium extract for the treatment of melanoma and merit further study.

Therapeutic Effects of Medicinal Mushrooms on Gastric, Breast, and Colorectal Cancer: A Scoping Review.

Cancer is the leading cause of mortality globally. With anticancer medications causing severe adverse effects, understanding the role of alternative and efficacious anticancer treatments with minimal or no side effects can be beneficial. Edible mushrooms have been associated with certain health benefits and exhibit a broad range of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating activities. The anticancer potential of different mushrooms is now being tested. The goal of this scoping review was to discuss the most recent and available evidence on the therapeutic uses of medicinal mushrooms in cancer treatment, specifically those cancers with some of the highest mortality rates (i.e., gastric, breast, and colorectal cancer). Randomly controlled trials, clinical trials, and retrospective cohort studies (with placebo group) with human subjects published between 2012-2023 were searched using the databases Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINHAL), and Alt HealthWatch. The initial search yielded 2,202 articles. After removing 853 duplicate citations, 1,349 articles remained and were screened for study eligibility and accessibility, leaving 26 articles. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were then used to assess the remaining 26 full-text articles and nine articles were selected for the final review. The characteristics of the nine studies reported the efficacy of medicinal mushrooms Lentinus edodes (Shiitake), Coriolus versicolor (Turkey Tail), and Agaricus Sylvaticus (Scaly Wood), in treating symptoms, medication side effects, anti-tumor effects, and survival outcomes in gastric, breast, and colorectal cancers. Findings from this review suggest that medicinal mushrooms have the potential to prevent lymph node metastasis, prolong overall survival, decrease chemotherapy-induced side effects (e.g., diarrhea, vomiting), affect the immune system, and help maintain immune function and quality of life in patients with certain cancers. More research is needed with human subjects using RCTs with larger samples to ensure accurate outcomes and ascertain the most efficacious dosages.

Effects of polysaccharopeptide from Trametes versicolor and amoxicillin on the gut microbiome of healthy volunteers: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Interactions between the microbial flora of the intestine and the human host play a critical role inmaintaining intestinal health and in the pathophysiology of a wide variety of disorders such as antibiotic associated diarrhea, Clostridium difficile infection, and inflammatory bowel disease. Prebiotics can confer health benefits by beneficial effects on the intestinal microbiome, whereas antibiotics can disrupt the microbiome leading to diarrhea andother side effects. AIM: To compare the effects of the prebiotic, polysaccharopeptide from Trametes versicolor, to those of the antibiotic,amoxicillin, on the human gut microbiome METHODS: Twenty-four healthy volunteers were randomized to receive PSP, amoxicillin, or no treatment (control).Stool specimens were analyzed using bTEFAP microbial ecology methods on seven occasions over 8 weeks from each participant in the active treatment groups and on three occasions for the controls. RESULTS: Twenty-two of 24 participants completed the protocol. PSP led to clear and consistent microbiome changes consistent with its activity as a prebiotic. Despite the diversity of the human microbiome we noted strong microbiome clustering among subjects. Baseline microbiomes tended to remain stable and to overshadow the treatment effects.Amoxicillin treatment caused substantial microbiome changes most notably an increase in Escherichia/Shigella. Antibiotic associated changes persisted to the end of the study, 42 days after antibiotic therapy ended. CONCLUSIONS: The microbiomes of healthy individuals show substantial diversity but remain stable over time.The antibiotic amoxicillin alters the microbiome and recovery from this disruption can take several weeks. PSP from T. versicolor acts as a prebiotic to modulate human intestinal microbiome composition.