Immunomodulatory and AntiCancer Effects of AHCC

The effects of therapy with active hemicellulose compound (AHCC) were examined in 11 cancer patients. Patients demonstrated a low base level of NK activity (18.8%), which was significantly enhanced by AHCC at 2 weeks (2.5 fold), and was maintained at a high level. The second was direct anticancer properties. In vitro studies showed that AHCC possesses suppressive effects on tumour cell growth. AHCC (1 mg/ml) cultured with K562 and Raji tumour cells caused 21% and 43% decrease in cell counts, respectively, as compared to control untreated cells. It is concluded that the high augmentory effect of AHCC and the absence of notable side-effects make AHCC a promising immunotherapeutic agent for the treatment of cancer patients.