Inhibitory effect of Agaricu blazei Murill components on abnormal collagen fiber formation in human hepatocarcinoma cells.

Hot-water extracts of the mycelial culture and fruiting bodies of Agaricus blazei Murill were fractionated by ethanol precipitation, using various ethanol concentrations. The mycelial fraction (A-4) inhibited abnormal collagen fiber formation, and fractions A-1 to A-3 showed a small inhibitory effect. The strongest inhibition was obtained by fraction A-4, and no significant inhibition was observed with fractions A-5 and A-6. With the fruiting bodies, fractions B-1 to B-6 showed no inhibitory effects on collagen fiber formation in HCC. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) demonstrates that Agaricus blazei mycelial fraction A-4 did not inhibit the type I, II or III procollagen gene expression.