Lentinan for Integrative Cancer Treatment: An Umbrella Review

Abstract

The aim of this review is to understand whether lentinan can be a useful integrative remedy for cancer patients. PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were screened for relevant meta-analyses from inception to September 29th, 2020. After database search, 8 meta-analyses met inclusion criteria. Retrieved evidence reported that lentinan may be useful to improve response rate, 1-year survival, performance status, quality of life, and radio/chemotherapy toxicity when administered in adjunct to standard therapy, especially for some lung and gastrointestinal cancers. Further studies are advised due to limitations of existing evidence.

Protective Effects of Lentinan Against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Mastitis in Mice

“…However, consumers and public health authorities are increasingly concerned about the use of antibiotics to balance animal health and the development of antimicrobial resistance on farms (Ruegg, 2017;Nobrega et al, 2020). Lentinan is a kind of polysaccharide extracted from Lentinus edodes, which has no toxicity and possesses various pharmacological activities such as anticancer, antibacterial, and antiviral effects (Antonelli et al, 2020;Lv et al, 2020;Zi et al, 2020). Thus, the anti-inflammatory function of lentinan on LPS-stimulated mastitis was carried out, and the mechanism involved was explored.…”

Dietary Consumption of Edible Mushrooms for Disease Prevention: A Literature Overview

“…Laboratory experiments indicate that many edible and medicinal mushrooms, such as the Ascomycetes and the Basidiomycetes, have antioxidant properties [11,12]. Recent studies have also reported that supplementation of extracts derived from medicinal mushrooms can help boost immune defenses [13], exert a potential antiproliferative effect [14,15], reduce insulin resistance and lipid levels [16,17], show an anticaries action [18], improve mood in patients suffering from major depressive disorder [19], diminish disease-related fatigue [20], and ameliorate cognitive functions in subjects affected by pre-dementia [21]. Some of these therapeutic effects are likely owed to fungal beta-glucans, well known for their immune-modulating and prebiotic effects [22,23].…”

From Cancer Therapy to Winemaking: The Molecular Structure and Applications of β-Glucans and β-1, 3-Glucanases

“…Lentinan has been considered an adjunctive therapy to radio/chemotherapy for patients diagnosed with solid tumors, improving response rate, one-year survival, performance status, quality of life and radio/chemotherapy toxicity [ 168 ]. A clinical trial evaluated the intravenous administration of lentinan extract in combination with two chemotherapeutic compounds (5-FU and Tegafur) in patients with advanced or recurrent stomach, colorectal and breast cancers.…”