Activation of antitumor immune responses by Ganoderma formosanum polysaccharides in tumor-bearing mice

Fungi of the genus Ganoderma are basidiomycetes that have been used as traditional medicine in Asia and have been shown to exhibit various pharmacological activities. We recently found that PS-F2, a polysaccharide fraction purified from the submerged culture broth of Ganoderma formosanum, stimulates the maturation of dendritic cells and primes a T helper 1 (Th1)-polarized adaptive immune response in vivo. In this study, we investigated whether the immune adjuvant function of PS-F2 can stimulate antitumor immune responses in tumor-bearing mice. Continuous intraperitoneal or oral administration of PS-F2 effectively suppressed the growth of colon 26 (C26) adenocarcinoma, B16 melanoma, and sarcoma 180 (S180) tumor cells in mice without adverse effects on the animals’ health. PS-F2 did not cause direct cytotoxicity on tumor cells, and it lost the antitumor effect in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and serum from PS-F2-treated tumor-bearing mice all exhibited antitumor activities when adoptively transferred to naïve animals, indicating that PS-F2 treatment stimulates tumor-specific cellular and humoral immune responses. These data demonstrate that continuous administration of G. formosanum polysaccharide PS-F2 can activate host immune responses against ongoing tumor growth, suggesting that PS-F2 can potentially be developed into a preventive/therapeutic agent for cancer immunotherapy.