Nutraceuticals are nutritional substances potent enough to treat disease. Nutraceuticals can be just as effective as pharmaceuticals, and sometimes more effective.
Nutraceuticals are always better tolerated than pharmaceuticals and have far fewer adverse side effects. The term “immunoceutical” to best characterize nutraceuticals able to potentiate the immune system.
The immune system is the body’s major defense against any and all agents that threaten it is survival. The healthy immune system is a highly integrated network of single cells, cells grouped within tissues, and whole organs, working together in tight coordination.
By potentiating the immune system, that is, raising it is functioning to a higher level, immunoceuticals can help the body mobilize a lifesaving response against cancer.
Glucans, mannans, galactans and fructans are widely studied immunostimualtory/anticancer polysaccharides. Amongst them, glucans are most promising immunostimulatory/ anticancer polysaccharides. Foremost among the proven immunoceuticals are the mushroom glucans.
Mushrooms have long history of traditional use for improving general health and forthe treatment of various ailments. Their application as nutraceuticals is also wellknown. Literature reports that there are over 12,000 wild species of mushrooms worldwide and about 2,000 species are edible . A couple of hundreds of wild species are used for medicinal purposes.
Mushrooms have been used as medicinal foods, especially in Japan and China and for three decades the beta-glucan substances from mushrooms have been under serious clinical investigation as anticancer immunopotentiators.
During the past several years, significant progress has been made in understanding mushroom polysaccharides, including their chemical structures and bioactivities, such as antioxidant, immunostimulatory and anti-proliferative properties and their use as immuno-chemotherapeutic agents.
As a result of the increased interest in vital fungi and their positive characteristics, rather unknown or forgotten types are being examined today more closely. The tinder fungus, also called Amadou Mushroom, Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr. is among those fungi (Figure 1).
Nowadays, many scientific examinations and clinical studies point out, that the isolated cell wall and extracts of Fomes fomentarius can positively influence the immune system, blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels and also have an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, fungicidal, antiinflammatory, and analgesic effects. They can also absorb infections in the gastro-intestinal area, show anticancer activities and bind heavy metals, radionuclides, and free radicals.
Fomes fomentarius belong mostly to the insoluble, highly molecular 1,3/1,6-ß-D-glucans,which show the highest bioactivity. Alone with molecular weight, the conformation of the glucans like single helix, double or triple helix is important.
To date, single helix or slightly loosened up triple helix lead to elevated macrophage activation.
Figure 1. View of Fomes Fomentarius in nature.
Asist. Prof. Phd. Gülşah Gedik
Trakya University
Faculty of Pharmacy
Department of Pharmaceutical
Technology
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Photography Source https://www.google.com/search?q=fomes+fomentar ius&sxsrf=ACYBGNQze8oYtWoYnzVSxHo9ihuzvToXw g:1579081100858&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&v
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