Chemotherapy improves the outcome of cancer treatment, but patients are sometimes forced to discontinue chemotherapy or drop out of a clinical trial due to adverse effects, such as gastrointestinal disturbances and suppression of bone marrow function. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a mushroom product, active hexose correlated compound (AHCC), on chemotherapy-induced adverse effects and quality of life (QOL) in patients with cancer. Twenty-four patients with cancer received their first cycle of chemotherapy without AHCC and then received their second cycle with AHCC. During chemotherapy, we weekly evaluated adverse effects and QOL via a blood test, EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire, and DNA levels of herpes virus type 6 (HHV-6) in saliva. The DNA levels of HHV-6 were significantly increased after chemotherapy. Interestingly, administration of AHCC significantly decreased the levels of HHV-6 in saliva during chemotherapy and improved not only QOL scores in the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire but also hematotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. These findings suggest that salivary HHV-6 levels may be a good biomarker of QOL in patients during chemotherapy, and that AHCC may have a beneficial effect on chemotherapy-associated adverse effects and QOL in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) progresses to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, ultimately leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. It is important to prevent this progression during the initial stages of hepatic fatty degeneration. Maltitol is a polyol produced by the hydrogenation of maltose. We investigated the efficacy of maltitol for treating hepatic fatty degeneration in C57BL/6 male mice using a high-fat diet model. Intake of 5.0% maltitol for 8 weeks significantly suppressed weight gain, hepatic fatty degeneration, hyperglycemia, and hypercholesterolemia. With maltitol intake, sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP1c) mRNA expression was significantly decreased, and farnesoid X receptor (FXR), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), and hydroxymethylglutaryl-Co reductase expressions were significantly higher in the liver. The increase in SREBP1c and suppression of FXR and PPARα expressions are correlated with NAFLD. Our results suggest that maltitol may prevent steatosis of NAFLD with a high-fat diet.

Adiponectin is an adipocyte specific-secreted protein playing a major role in regulating insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism. Peucedanum japonicum Thunb (PJT) grown on the cliff of Tokunoshima Island in Japan contains rich polyphenolic compounds and exerts hypolipidemic properties. In this study we studied the efficacy of PJT on the adiponectin secretion in the adipocytes differentiated from human Metabolic Stem Cells (MSC) and in healthy individuals. Three types of PJT extracts of each (water, 50% ethanol, 100% ethanol extracts), rutin, or chlorogenic acid as phytochemical candidates of the PJT extracts was dropped directly onto the differentiated adipocytes from MSC of obese patients at day 8 and adiponectin levels in the culture medium were measured at day 10 and 12. The efficacy of PJT on adiponectin secretion (1260 mg/day for 3 months) was examined for 46 healthy individuals in an open labeledpreliminary study. Chlorogenic acid and rutin showed that they had more positive effects on adiponectin secretion than PJT extracts. In the study of healthy individuals, serum adiponectin levels of the elder individuals significantly increased after the trial. PJT extracts might have an adiponectin secretion-enhancing properties, attributing partly to rutin and chlorogenic acid.

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