[#2009-01] Royal Agaricus, Ellertsen, Linda K. et al. An extract of the medicinal mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill can protect against allergy

An extract of the medicinal mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill can protect against allergy

 Linda K Ellertsen¹ and Geir Hetland*²

¹Department of Environmental Immunology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway

²Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Ulleval, Oslo, Norway

Abstract

Background: Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM) is an edible Brazilian mushroom that has been used in traditional medicine for a range of diseases. It has been shown to have anti-infection and anti-tumor properties in the mouse, which are due to induction of Th1 responses. On the other hand, IgE­mediated allergy is induced by a Th2 response.

Objective: Since according to the Th1/Th2 paradigm an increased Th1 response may promote a reduced Th2 response, the aim was to examine whether AbM had anti-allergy effects.