The
active constituents found in Agaricus Blazei polysaccharides
are ß-(1-3)-D-glucan, ß-(1-4)-a -D-glucan
& ß-(1-6)-D-glucan, known collectively as ß-glucans.
The basic ß-D-glucan
is a repeating structure with the D-glucose units joined
together in linear chains by beta-bonds (ß).
They are the key to its immune stimulating properties
because of a common final pathway of immune reaction
mediated through the ß-glucans receptor found
on neutrophils,1
monocytes or macrophages,2
NK cells,3
and T and B lymphocytes.4
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Not all ß-D-glucans
contained in the mushroom exhibit antitumour activity.
The extent of occurrence of this activity seems to be
influenced by solubility in water, size of molecules,
and the ß-(1-6)-bonding system in ß-(1-3)
major chain.
In recent
Japanese animal studies on the anti-cancer effects of
various medicinal mushrooms, Agaricus Blazei produced
the best result. Its greater immune-stimulating effects
can be attributed to the higher molecular weight ß-glucans
that Agaricus Blazei contains.
NMR analyses
clarified that active ß-D-glucan shows a triple-stranded
right-winding helix structure (Bluhm and Sarco, 1977).
Only higher molecular weight molecules can form this
structure (Saito et al., 1991) which may be a good evidence
to propose that Agaricus Blazei extract can be a highly
active anti-cancer agent for both animal and human.5
MYCOPHARMA® Agaricus Blazei (ABM) extract
is assayed to assure a constant high level of all these
active constituents unique to this mushroom.
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