ABSTRACT
Cancer is the second largest cause of death throughout the world. Conventional therapies of cancer include surgery, r\s, particularly greatest on hematopoietic tissue. Injury to hematopoietic tissue causes severe immunosuppression which negatively affects therapy by making the host more prone to different opportunistic and pathogenic microbial infections. Nowadays much more concern is also given to the patient‘s quality of life (QOL) rather than the treatment. Mushrooms are natural resources of least toxic bioactive components with immunopotentiating and anticancer properties. Many potential compounds have been isolated from mushrooms which include polysaccharides (PLs), polysaccharopeptides (PSP), polysccharide proteins, and proteins. Mushrooms also contain other pharmacologically active compounds like triterpenes, lipids, and phenols. Consumption of mushrooms or their bioactive components can improve the host immune system, renovate homeostasis, and increase resistance to diseases. Hence they can improve the QOL and survival of the host. Mushroom-derived compounds are now extensively used in cancer adjuvant therapy in countries like Japan, Korea, and China. Lentinan, Schizophyllan, PSK (Krestin), and PSP (Ppolysaccharide peptide) are the most widely used mushroom derived drugs with significant inhibitory action on human cancers and are considered as biological response modifiers. The most encouraging observation is that these drugs can considerably reduce the side effects of conventional therapies if administered prior to or during treatment. Also the toxicity studies of mushroom components showed no evidence of toxicity. Thus, mushrooms can be promising candidates in adjuvant immunotherapy and for safe and effective drug development in cancer.
