Antitumor activity of chitin-glucan complex of basidiomycetes

Background:High-molecular β-D-glucans of basidiomycetes modify the immune response and indirectly affect antitumor mechanisms by stimulating the activity of various immune cells and signaling pathways. However, the severity of the immune activity of β-D-glucans depends on many factors, which indicates the need to study them to obtain standardized agents of various pathogenetic directions. Objective:Evaluation of the antitumor activity of the chitin-glucan complex in the form of aqueous suspensions obtained from the fungi Ganoderma lucidum, Grifola frondosa, and Phallus impudicus using the Ehrlich adenocarcinoma (ACE) model.Methods:The work was carried out on male F1(C57Bl×CBA) hybrid mice. Animals were transplanted subcutaneously with ACE at a dose of 106 cells in 0.5 ml of Hank's solution. Animals were given prophylactic oral administration of suspensions of fungi for 10 days before inoculation with ACE. After inoculation with ACE, suspensions of fungi were orally administered to animals of these groups for 28 days for therapeutic purposes. From the 6th day after transplantation of the tumor, its volume was recorded in mm3 according to three linear dimensions. Results:Survival in all groups of animals within 28 days after inoculation with ACE was 100%. Administration of aqueous suspensions of Phallus impudicus, Ganoderma lucidum, and Grifola frondosa fungi to animals with ACE compensated for metabolic disturbances in the body, which increased the dynamics of their weight gain. However, the weight of these animals on the 28th day of the experiment did not reach the weight of animals that were not transplanted with ACE. Against the background of the introduction of suspensions of these fungi to animals from 6 to 11 days, a statistically significant (p<0.05) effect of inhibition of the development of the ECA volume was obtained, which did not depend on the type of fungi studied.Conclusion:Aqueous suspensions of these fungi have a similar effect of inhibiting the development of ACE. This allows us to consider the chitin-glucan components of the studied mushrooms as substances with indirect antitumor activity for their standardization and optimization of their use for prophylactic or therapeutic purposes. Keywords:β-D-glucans, chitin-glucan complex, basidiomycetes, Ehrlich's adenocarcinoma.