A compound from a Japanese mushroom
has been found to eradicate human papillomavirus (HPV) in cervical cancer
cells, illuminating a potential treatment strategy against the disease that
kills thousands of U.S. women every year.
Dr. Judith A. Smith, a researcher at
the University of Texas and lead author of the new study, said that the
mushroom extract active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) also appears to slow
down tumor growth. "The results of this study were very encouraging,"
she said in a press release. "This
study, initiated in 2008, shows that by itself AHCC has the potential to treat
the HPV infection.”
Virtually all cervical cancers are
caused by HPV. Vaccines like Gardasil
and Ceravix have proven highly effective in preventing the infection, but they
only protect against some strains. New treatment methods are therefore crucial
to bringing down incidence and mortality rates.
The new study, which was presented
at the Society of Gynecological Oncology’s annual meeting in Tampa, Fla. shows
that AHCC appears to shut down the infection both in vitro and in
vivo. First, Smith and colleagues tested the compound in cell cultures
isolated from cervical cancer patients. They then treated an HPV mouse model
with a supplement derived from the mushroom extract.
In both experiments, AHCC was shown
to eradicate the virus within 90 days. This opens up a range of opportunities
for oncologists and drug researchers, Smith said. "AHCC is a common, well
tolerated nutritional supplement that has been used for decades in Japan,” she
explained. “I am very excited to be pursuing a nutritional approach to trying
to find a treatment for HPV infections."
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