Anticarcinogenic action of an alcohol-insoluble fraction (LAP1) from culture medium of Lentinus edodes mycelia.

From the culture medium of Lentinus edodes mycelia, water-soluble material (LEM) was prepared and further fractionated by alcohol precipitation and gel filtration on Sepharose 6B. The resulting fraction of xylose-rich proteoglycan at the void volume was designated as LAP1. The 25% and 50% survival rates of hepatoma-bearing rats were raised by intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of LAP1 at doses of 3-10 mg/kg (an optimum dose, 3 mg/kg). This fraction did not suppress in vitro cell proliferation of the hepatoma. Moreover, the i.p. administration of LAP1 significantly augmented the activity of macrophage-migration inhibition of the splenic cells from hepatoma-bearing rats in the early stage after transplantation. Thus, the anticarcinogenic action of LAP1 would partly be interpreted by host-dependent immunomodulation.