Active Hemicellulose Compound (AHCC) Enhances NK Cell Activity of Aged Mice in Vivo

 

M. Ghoneum, Y. Ninomiya, M. Torabi, G. Gill and A. Wojani. C.

 

Drew University of Medicine and Science, Department of Otolaryngology, and Dermatology, 1621 East 120th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90059. Daiwa Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. 1-16-19 Sangenjaya Setagayaku, Tokyo.

Adjuvant Nutrition in Cancer Treatment Sponsored by: American College of Nutrition & Cancer Treatment Centers of America. (Continuing Education activity for 16 hours in CATEGORY I of the Physicians Recognition Award of the AMA.)

 

Active Hemicellulose Compound (AHCC) is hemicellulose which originated from rice and is biologically modified using carbohydrase separated from Lentinus Edodes to increase its immunomodulatory function. In the present investigation, we evaluated the ability of AHCC to stimulate in vivo NK cytotoxic reactivity. Old C57BL/6 mice were injected i.p. daily at a concentration of 30 mg/kg/day. At 2, 5 and 14 days at post treatment, peritoneal erudite and apleen were examined for tissue cellularity and NK activity using 4-hr. Cr-release assay against YAC-1 tumor cells. The results demonstrate that; 1) AHCC generated peritoneal cytotoxic cells having the characteristics of NK cells with high levels of granularity. The induction was observed as early as 2 days, (750-900% of control) and maintained at high levels with continuous injections, 2) Peritoneal macrophage did not exhibit antitumor activity nor act as accessory cells for NK cells, 3) No significant induction of splenic NK cell activity, and 4) AHCC treated mice induced a significant increase in peritoneal (300-500%) and splenic cellularity (150-190%), suggesting that AHCC acts a mitogen factor in vivo. AHCC could be considered as a potent biological response modifier and its anti-cancer activity may be through post NK immunomodulation.