Disease: colorectal cancer

Astragalus Shiitake—A Novel Functional Food with High Polysaccharide Content and Anti-Proliferative Activity in a Colorectal Carcinoma Cell Line

Scientists developed a new type of Shiitake mushroom by growing it on a special substrate enriched with Astragalus root. This novel mushroom contains significantly more beneficial polysaccharides than regular Shiitake. When tested against colorectal cancer cells, extracts from this mushroom showed strong cancer-fighting properties, with the ultrasound extraction method being most effective. This research suggests Astragalus Shiitake could become a powerful functional food for cancer prevention and treatment.

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Antrodia Camphorata Supplement in the Early Life Inhibits Intestinal Tumorigenesis Later in Young Adult APC1638N Mice

Researchers found that a mushroom supplement called Antrodia camphorate, when given to mice during childhood and adolescence, helped prevent intestinal tumors when the mice reached young adulthood. This effect was especially strong in mice that ate a high-fat diet early in life. The supplement appears to work by reducing inflammation and blocking certain proteins involved in tumor growth.

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Effects of Natural Polysaccharides on the Gut Microbiota Related to Human Metabolic Health

Natural plant and organism sugars called polysaccharides can improve your gut health by feeding beneficial bacteria and strengthening your intestinal barrier. These compounds help prevent diseases like obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease by changing the types of bacteria in your gut and producing helpful substances. Polysaccharides come from common foods like mushrooms, seaweed, berries, and vegetables, making them potential natural treatments for various health conditions.

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Phytochemicals as promising agents in Axl-targeted cancer treatment

This review examines natural plant compounds that can block Axl, a protein that helps cancer cells survive and spread. Scientists found that compounds from common foods like apples, grapes, green tea, ginger, and chamomile can reduce Axl levels and kill cancer cells. These natural compounds work through different mechanisms and show promise for treating various cancers, including those resistant to standard chemotherapy drugs.

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New bioactive secondary metabolites from fungi: 2024

Scientists discovered 907 new compounds from fungi in 2024, with most being terpenoids and polyketides that show promise as medicines. These fungal compounds demonstrate strong activity against bacteria, fungi, and inflammation, with some showing potential against cancer and diabetes. The research uses advanced techniques like genome mining and metabolomics to find these compounds more efficiently. This accelerating discovery rate suggests fungi could be a major source for developing new drugs to treat various diseases.

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Anticancer Activity of Demethylincisterol A3 and Related Incisterol-Type Fungal Products

This review examines a group of rare fungal compounds called incisterols, with a focus on demethylincisterol A3 (DM-A3), which has shown promise as an anticancer agent. DM-A3 works through multiple mechanisms including blocking cancer cell signaling pathways, inhibiting specific enzymes, and reducing inflammation. The compound has demonstrated effectiveness against various cancer types in laboratory studies and showed tumor-reducing effects in animal models, suggesting potential for future cancer therapy development.

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Lectins as versatile tools to explore cellular glycosylation

Lectins are natural proteins that selectively bind to sugars on cell surfaces, discovered over 130 years ago as tools for studying cell chemistry. They have become especially valuable in cancer research, revealing how cancer cells have abnormal sugar patterns that predict how aggressively they spread. Modern biotechnology now allows scientists to create enhanced lectin versions and use them in high-throughput screening to discover new disease markers and improve patient diagnosis.

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Potential of Indonesian Herbal as an Anti-Cancer Therapy: A Systemic Review of in vitro Studies

This review examined eight Indonesian herbal plants that show promise in laboratory studies for fighting various types of cancer. Soursop leaves were the most researched and consistently showed the ability to kill or slow cancer cells in test tubes by triggering natural cell death pathways. The herbs work through bioactive compounds like flavonoids and alkaloids that can interfere with how cancer cells divide and survive. While these results are encouraging, more research is needed to confirm effectiveness in humans.

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Gut fungi are associated with human genetic variation and disease risk

Researchers discovered for the first time how human genes influence the fungi living in our gut and how this connection affects heart disease risk. They found that a yeast called Kazachstania is regulated by a gene called CDH13, and people with certain genetic variants have less of this beneficial yeast and higher risk of heart disease. This groundbreaking study shows that our genetics don’t just affect bacteria in our gut—they also shape our fungal community, which has real implications for heart health.

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A Novel Erinacine S Derivative from Hericium erinaceus Overcomes Chemoresistance in Colorectal Cancer Cells by Enhancing TRAIL/TNFR1/DR5 Expression through Histone Acetylation

Researchers found that erinacine S, a compound from Lion’s Mane mushroom, can help kill colorectal cancer cells that have become resistant to chemotherapy drugs. The compound works by activating death pathways in cancer cells and modifying how genes are expressed. In mouse studies, erinacine S significantly reduced tumor growth compared to standard chemotherapy alone. This suggests Lion’s Mane mushroom derivatives could potentially be developed as a natural treatment option for patients with drug-resistant colorectal cancer.

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