FUNGI AND CANCER I.

prof. Pavel Valíček DrSc.

MUSHROOMS AND CRAYFISH I.

Cancer, a disease as old as mankind itself, haunts the world. However, the number of cases has increased significantly in recent years, and modern medicine has so far been unable to solve the problem. Around 20 million people worldwide are affected by cancer every year. The life expectancy of patients depends on the type of spread of the cancer, the diseased organs, the stage of the disease and a number of other factors. In the Czech Republic (2007), one in three people will get cancer and one in four will die from the disease. After circulatory failure, cancer is the second most common cause of death in our country, with around 28,000 people dying from it every year.

We know of many factors that directly or indirectly influence the onset and course of the disease, e.g. genetic load, negative environmental conditions, smoking, poor diet, stress, etc. However, we still do not know too many of the important elements that cause cancer, which is why the results of treatment are not always satisfactory.

Eastern medicine, especially traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, has been using indigenous fungi to treat various diseases, including cancer, for thousands of years. In addition to their primary substances, they contain a number of unique compounds, so-called secondary metabolites, which have been proven to have curative effects, including in the treatment of cancer. Recently, preparations made from various types of mushrooms have appeared on our market. When it comes to quality, we can trust the manufacturers. In any case, however, extracts are much more effective than sachets or tablets containing only biomass.

Among the most important are specific fungal polysaccharides. They are most often composed of glucose and are called glucans. Heteroglycans and other polysaccharides include, for example, crestin, LEM or polysaccharide K, GPP, GPS, etc., which have a positive effect on our health. They are, for example, able to stimulate non-specific immunity to cancer and radiation damage. They are also effective in the fight against cancer and are powerful antioxidants. The composition of these substances and their medical effects have already been described in detail in the articles "Antioxidants and fungi" or "Fungal polysaccharides".

Fungi are also usually composed of terpenes, which contain almost 25,000 different compounds. They are divided into several groups according to the number of particles of which they are composed. An important group for us are the triterpenoids, also found in fungi. They include more than 4 000 substances, in addition to the triterpenoids proper also phytosterols, saponins and others. As far as cancer is concerned, their therapeutic effect consists primarily in their immunomodulatory and anti-cancer effects.

Other active substances that are contained in many mushrooms are lectins. This is a large group of proteins capable of binding certain structures containing free and bound sugars, such as polysaccharides or glycoproteins. They are involved in many processes where specific recognition is required, e.g. in immunological reactions, pathogen-host relationships, etc. They also include lectins, which have antibacterial effects and inhibit the growth of cancer cells, especially in leukaemia, by blocking the synthesis of certain proteins. On the other hand, they can also have a negative effect, as they are able to precipitate red blood cells and are mostly anti-nutritive.

Lowastatin (mevinolin, monacolin K) belongs to the group of statins. It is effective on cholesterol metabolism, protects against myocardial infarction and has anti-allergic properties. It prevents the formation of cancer. Studies show a clear effect on the remission of certain types of cancer such as liver cancer or sarcoma S 180, but also prostate and colon cancer.

A separate chapter is devoted to cytostatics, which are substances used to treat cancer that are designed to stop the growth of cancer cells. From fungi, substances such as hadacytidine, chaga acid, lentinan, betulin, etc. can be isolated. Vitamins also play a significant role in the treatment of cancer and often affect the functioning of the whole body even in small doses. Mushrooms are a valuable source of mainly B vitamins (_B1,_B2, _B3, _B5,_B6, sometimes also _B12), but also of vitamins E and K. The ergosterol they contain is a provitamin of vitamin _D2.

Important compounds contained in mushrooms are enzymes. We are talking here about proteins, a small amount of which can significantly accelerate the course of a given biochemical reaction in the body. Mushrooms contain a whole range of enzymes, above all superoxide dismutase - an important factor protecting against free radicals, as well as peroxidase and catalase, which, among other things, cause the decomposition of carcinogenic hydrogen peroxide. In general, they increase antioxidant activity and are used in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. These enzymes are found almost exclusively in fungi.

The quantity and composition of the mineral substances are determined not only by the type of fungus but also by the environmental conditions, especially the location and nature of the soil. There is a large amount of potassium, which affects our health, but also trace elements such as copper, zinc, iodine, magnesium, lithium, fluorine, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, etc. Particular attention should be paid to the very valuable selenium content, which can be more than 100 times higher than in green plants. Some species also contain germanium, which has anti-cancer properties.

On the other hand, it should be borne in mind that mushrooms can also absorb heavy metals from the surrounding environment, especially mercury, lead and cadmium, which are probably not beneficial to our health. However, there is no such risk when using medicinal preparations, since the vast majority of the fungi that are part of them are grown on specific substrates in an artificial environment (in cultures).

This general part will be referred to in the next article, where we will look in detail at the anticancer activity of selected types of mushrooms.

Prof. Pavel Valíček DrSc. is a well-known Czech specialist in the field of medicinal properties of Chinese plants and a consultant of MycoMedica

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