In Vitro Research Confirms Maitake D-Fraction Promotes Apoptosis

The anti-tumor effect of Mushroom Wisdom’s (East Rutherford, NJ) Maitake D-Fraction supplement was demonstrated in an in vitro study published in the Journal of Medicinal Foods.

“The proprietary, protein-bound polysaccharide extract, Maitake D-Fraction…is known to be the most potent immune-enhancing mushroom fraction on the natural product market, activating macrophage, T cells, and natural killer cells,” the company says. It adds that the product has also been shown to induce apoptosis (necessary cell death) in prostate cancer cells.

Human breast cancer cells were treated with five different concentrations of Maitake D-Fraction (with one sample left untreated for control) and were incubated for 24 hours. The company says that cells treated with Maitake D-Fraction exhibited decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Using genomic analysis, Maitake D-Fraction was found to up-regulate 22 pro-apoptosis genes. At the highest dose, a 25-fold increase was found in the BAK-1 gene, which promotes apoptosis. Moreover, the company stated, the study observed the release of cytochrome c, an intermediate in inducing caspase activation from the mitochondria, supporting that Maitake D-Fraction is involved with mitochondrial dysfunction.