Immune Responses to Water-Soluble Ling Zhi Mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (W.Curt.:Fr.) P. Karst. Polysaccharides in Patients with Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Authors: Min Huang, Yihuai Gao, Wenbo Tang, Xihu Dai, He Gao, Guoliang Chen, Jingxian Ye, Eli Chan, and Shufeng Zhou

Journal: International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms

Study Design:

• Intervention: 5.4 g/day of water-soluble Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (Ganopoly)
• Participants: 47 patients with advanced colorectal cancer
• Duration: 12 weeks
• Outcome Measures:
  • Mitogenic reactivity to phytohemagglutinin (PHA)
  • Counts of CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD56 cells
  • Plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, and interferon (IFN)-\u03b3
  • NK activity
  • Plasma concentrations of IL-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-\u03b1

Summary: This study investigated the effects of Ganopoly, a water-soluble extract of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides, on the immune response in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. The results showed that Ganopoly treatment tended to increase immune cell activity and the production of certain cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, IFN-\u03b3), while decreasing the production of other cytokines (IL-1, TNF-\u03b1). However, these changes were not statistically significant. The study suggests that Ganopoly may have beneficial immunomodulating effects in patients with advanced colorectal cancer, but further research is needed to confirm these findings.