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The mycelium of the Trametes versicolor synn. Coriolus versicolor (Turkey tail mushroom) exhibit anti-melanoma activity in vitro

Summary

Turkey tail mushrooms, used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, show promise in fighting melanoma skin cancer. Scientists tested mushroom extracts on melanoma cells in the laboratory and found they kill cancer cells through multiple mechanisms, including triggering programmed cell death and activating the immune system. The mushroom extract also reduced cancer cell migration and showed potential to work better when combined with standard chemotherapy drugs like paclitaxel. These findings suggest turkey tail could be a valuable addition to melanoma treatment strategies.

Background

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer with high metastatic potential and significant mortality rates despite improved early diagnosis and treatment. Trametes versicolor, a mushroom commonly used in Chinese traditional medicine for over 2000 years, has demonstrated numerous beneficial properties and anti-cancer activity through both direct cytotoxic effects and immunomodulating mechanisms.

Objective

This study aims to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of T. versicolor fruiting body and mycelium ethanol extracts on human melanoma cell lines A375 and SK-MEL-5, and to investigate the mycelium extract’s ability to induce apoptosis, reduce cell migration, increase MHC II presentation, and enhance activity of common melanoma drugs.

Results

T. versicolor mycelium extract demonstrated potent cytotoxicity with IC50 values of 114.5 μg/mL (A375) and 88.6 μg/mL (SK-MEL-5), superior to fruiting body extract. The extract induced apoptosis, PARP cleavage, upregulated LC3-II autophagy marker, increased MHC-II presentation and PD-L1 expression, and inhibited SK-MEL-5 cell migration. Paclitaxel showed moderate synergism with the mycelium extract at lowest concentrations.

Conclusion

T. versicolor mycelium extract exhibits significant therapeutic potential for melanoma treatment through multiple mechanisms including apoptosis induction, autophagy activation, and immunomodulation. The synergistic potential with paclitaxel warrants further investigation for combination therapy approaches in melanoma treatment.
  • Published in:Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy,
  • Study Type:In vitro experimental study,
  • Source: PMID: 36827712, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114424
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