YAKUGAKU ZASSHI, 120(8),715-719, 2000

Prophylactic Efficacy of a Basidiomycetes Preparation AHCC against Lethal Opportunistic Infections in Mice

Hiroko ISHIBASHI, Tatsuo IKEDA, Shigeru TANSHO, Yasuo ONO, Masatoshi YAMAZAKI, Akira SATO, Keiko YAMAOKA, Hideyo YAMAGUCHI, and Shigeru ABE

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pharmacy, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1, Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8605, Japan, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo University, 1091-1, Suarashi, Sagamiko-cho, Tsukui-gun, Kanagawa 199-0195, Japan, and Research Center for Medical Mycology, Teikyo University, 359, Otsuka, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 192-0352, Japan

The prophylactic effects of a Basidiomycetes preparation, AHCC, against experimental opportunistic infections were investigated in leukopenic mice. In cyclophosphamide-induced leukopenic mice, oral or intraperitoneal administration of the AHCC at doses of 1000 or 50mg/kg/day, respectively, for 4 consecutive days prior to Candida albicans infection significantly prolonged the survival periods of the infected mice, and decreased the viable counts of C.albicans cells recovered from their kidneys. Similarly, the oral treatment with AHCC protected mice from lethal infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and intraperitoneal one also protected mice from infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These results suggest a potential usefulness of the AHCC as a prophylactic agent for the management of patients with opportunistic infections.

Key words--Basidiomycetes preparation; AHCC; Candida albicans; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus (MRSA)