Effects of Agaricus Blazei Murill Extract on Sensitivity to Chemotherapeutic Agents in HeLa Cells and its Resistant Sublines

Abstract

Agaricus blazei Murill (ABM; Japanese name: Kawahiratake or Agarikusutake) extract is a widely used dietary supplement. However, limited information is available on the effects of the extract on the effectiveness of the chemotherapeutic agents. In this study, we examined the effects of ABM extract (Kyowa Wellness Co., Ltd.) on sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents, paclitaxel and doxorubicin as MDR1/P-glycoprotein substrates, and cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil as non-substrates, in human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells, and paclitaxel-resistant and cisplatin-resistant derivatives (HeLa/TXL and HeLa/CDDP, respectively). The extract had no growth inhibitory effects on HeLa and the resistant cells at concentrations ranging from 7.6 × 10⁻⁴ μ g/ml to 8.0 × 10²μ g/ml, indicating no remarkable cytotoxic activity in vitro. In the presence of 0.1, 0.5, and 1 μ g/ml of ABM extract, sensitivity to paclitaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil did not change in HeLa, HeLa/TXL and HeLa/CDDP cells. However, the extract reduced sensitivity to doxorubicin in HeLa/TXL and HeLa/CDDP cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, the concomitant use of ABM extract minimally affected sensitivity to various chemotherapeutic agents in HeLa cells and resistant sublines in vitro.

KEYWORDS:

• Agaricus blazei Murill
• anticancer drug
• HeLa
• multidrug resistance
• cancer chemotherapy