Andosan?-An Anti-Allergic and Anti-Inflammatory Ingredient Prepared from Agaricus blazei Mushroom

Abstract

Andosan™ is an extract prepared from medicinal Basidiomycetes mushrooms, mainly Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM) (82%), but it also contains Hericeum erinaceus (He) (15%) and Grifola frondosa (Gf) (3%), all of which have immunomodulating properties. Whereas He and Gf have been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine against cancer, AbM originates from Brazilian rain forest and was used locally and later abroad as health food for the prevention of a range of diseases, including chronic hepatitis, diabetes and cancer. The mushrooms’ health effects are probably due to their content of -glucans and other smaller immunomodulating polysaccharides and proteoglucans. These effects are mediated through their stimulation of innate immune cells, such as monocytes, NK cells and dendritic cells, and the amelioration of a skewded Th1/Th2 balance and of inflammation. Here, we give an overview of the anti-allergic effects of Andosan™ in a mouse model for allergy and anti-inflammatory effects both in vitro, in healthy individuals and in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.