The Prevention and cancer control properties of Coriolus Versicolor PSK have been associated with its antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties in vitro and in vivo. PSK has demonstrated prevention of chemically induced DNA damage (sister chromatid exchanges) and subsequent tumors due to chemicals, radiation or other causes.
Coriolus PSK also seems to work in multiple steps of the malignant process by inhibiting adhesion, invasion, motility, and metastatic growth of tumor cells in animal models of cancer. Adhesion and invasion are inhibited by suppression of cell matrix-degrading enzyme production by malignant cells. Motility of malignant cells and subsequent attachment to blood vessels are inhibited by suppression of tumor-cell induced platelet aggregation and anti-angiogenic factors.
PSK has also induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) in lymphoma, leukemia and pancreatic cells.
Immune responsiveness of the host does not appear to be affected by PSK under normal conditions, but immune systems depressed by tumor-burden or chemotherapy, have reportedly been restored to normal levels by PSK in animal studies.
A variety of other mechanisms have been observed in laboratory studies of PSK. It was found to alter the expression of the p53 gene21, inhibit Epstein-Barr virus induced B-cell proliferation22 and suppress heat shock proteins that are thought to be involved in the progression of fibrosis. PSK has also been observed to stimulate differentiation (orderliness) of human myeloblastic leukemic cells.
When injected directly into a tumor, PSK produces local inflammatory responses that result in the non-specific killing of tumor cells. One study on vaccine therapy against cancer found that PSK promotes the maturation of dendritic cells to produce IL-12 and Th1 type cytokines.
Source: ( www.mdanderson.org)
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