Agaricus brasiliensis mycelium supplementation in Sarcoma 180tumour-bearing mice reverses the immune response induced by the tumour

The biological properties of Agaricus brasiliensis mycelium, including their immuno-stimulating and anti-tumour activities, have previously been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of long-term intake of A. brasiliensis mycelium cultivated on wheat grains by solid-state culture on tumour growth and immune response in Sarcoma 180 tumour-bearing mice. Mice received dietary supplementation with 100% or 50% Agaricus mycelium cultivated on wheat grains for 14 weeks and were inoculated with Sarcoma 180 tumours. We found that A. brasiliensis had anti-tumour activity, and that dietary supplementation with a 50% concentration (A50S) prevented loss of body weight, inhibited tumour growth, induced the increase of CD4+ T cells and CD25+ CD4+ T subsets in peripheral organs and downregulated Tumor necrosis factor alpha production in plasma. Our results confirm that dietary supplementation with Agaricus may offer immuno-modulatory activity and protection against tumour growth.