Xiaoqiang Wang, MD, Ph.D., MB (ASCP) from the City of Hope speaks about White button mushrooms could slow progression of prostate cancer.
Washington, D.C." According to a mouse study presented digitally at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, chemicals found in white button mushrooms may slow the progression of prostate cancer.
"Androgens, a type of male sex hormone, promote the growth of prostate cancer cells by binding to and activating the androgen receptor, a protein that is expressed in prostate cells," said lead researcher Xiaoqiang Wang, M.D., Ph.D., M.B. (A.S.C.P.), of the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, a comprehensive cancer center in Duarte, Calif. "White button mushrooms appear to suppress the activity of the androgen receptor."
Shiuan Chen, Ph.D., the project’s principal investigator, previously performed a phase one clinical trial of white button mushroom powder in patients with recurrent prostate cancer, which showed that the mushrooms decreased PSA levels in the blood while providing limited side effects. PSA levels in the blood in men can indicate the presence of prostate tumors.
The aim of the new research was to figure out how this discovery came to be. The researchers looked at how the mushroom extract influenced androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cells. They also looked at how the extract affected mice with human prostate tumors, providing an animal model whose findings would be more accurate as the study advanced to human clinical trials.
White button mushroom extract inhibited androgen receptor activity in prostate cancer cells, according to the researchers. They also discovered that after six days of treatment with white button mushroom extract, prostate tumor growth was substantially reduced and PSA levels were reduced in mice.
"We found that white button mushrooms contain chemicals that can block the activity of the androgen receptor in mouse models, indicating this fungus can reduce PSA levels," Wang said. "While more research is needed, it"™s possible that white button mushrooms could one day contribute to the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer."