[#1997-03] Effect of Maitake D-Fraction on Cancer Prevention, Hiroaki Nanba et al.

Effect of Maitake D-Fraction on Cancer Prevention

Nanba, H  Kubo, K

Department of Microbial Chemistry, Kobe Pharmaceutical University

In this paper, the author investigates whether D-fraction is effective against chemically-induced cancer and against metastasis or recrudescence of MM-46 breast cancer. The known carcinogen, methylcholanthrene, was injected into mice. Subsequently, D-fraction or saline was administered. In the D-fraction-treated mice, carcinogenesis occurred in 31% of cases relative to 93% of cases in the control. In a similar experiment, tumor metastasis was prevented in 92% of mice compared to the control. These results indicate that Maitake D-fraction potentiates the activity of cellular immune-competent cells and is effective in inhibition of cancer metastasis as well as carcinogenesis.