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Synergistic immuno-modulatory activity in human macrophages of a medicinal mushroom formulation consisting of Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake

Summary

Researchers studied a combination of three medicinal mushroom extracts to see if they work better together than separately. They tested this formula on human immune cells called macrophages and found that the combination was significantly more powerful at boosting immune responses than any single mushroom extract alone. This synergistic effect means the three mushrooms enhance each other’s immune-stimulating properties, suggesting this formula combination could have potential therapeutic benefits for immune support.

Background

Medicinal mushrooms contain bioactive polysaccharides, particularly β-glucans, which are recognized as potent immunomodulators. A key characteristic of mushroom polysaccharides that elicit immunomodulatory responses is their richness in β-glucans and low α-glucan content. This study investigated whether a combination of mushroom extracts could produce synergistic immunomodulatory effects.

Objective

To analyze nine commercially available preparations from three mushroom species for β- and α-glucan content, select extracts based on these ratios to create a formula, and evaluate the ability of individual extracts and the combined formula to modulate cytokine expression in human macrophages with and without LPS stimulation.

Results

The majority of mushroom extracts and the formula were potent immuno-stimulators with EC50 values lower than 100 μg/mL. The mushroom formula demonstrated lower EC50 values for TNF-α in LPS-stimulated macrophages compared to individual extracts, indicating synergistic effects. Response additivity and curve-shift analyses confirmed synergistic effects on pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1α, IL-6, TNF-α) in both LPS-stimulated and non-stimulated macrophages, while IL-10 showed antagonistic effects.

Conclusion

This is the first report of synergistic immunomodulatory effects in human macrophages from a rationally designed mushroom formula based on β- and α-glucan content. The formula exhibited increased potency and efficacy compared to its individual components in stimulating pro-inflammatory cytokine expression while antagonizing anti-inflammatory IL-10 expression, suggesting potential therapeutic applications.
  • Published in:PLoS One,
  • Study Type:In vitro Experimental Study,
  • Source: PMID: 31697749, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224740
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