AHCC is a registered trademark of and manufactured by Amino Up Co., Ltd. in
Sapporo City,
Hokkaido,
Japan.[3]
Development and chemical composition
AHCC was developed by Amino Up Co., LTD. and Toshihiko Okamoto (School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of Tokyo) in 1989.[4]
Polysaccharides form a large part of the composition of AHCC. These include
beta-glucan (β-glucan) and partially acylated
α-glucan. Partially acylated α-glucan, produced by the patented long term culturing process, is unique to AHCC. Approximately 20% of the make up of AHCC is α-glucans.[5]
Glucans are saccharides, of which some are known to have immune stimulating effects.[6]
Potential mechanisms of action
The manufacturer of AHCC, Amino Up Co., Ltd., states that the culturing process utilized in its manufacture favors the release of small bioactive molecules that act as nontoxic agonists for
toll-like receptors (TLRs), specifically
TLR-4, initiating a systemic anti-inflammatory response.[7] AHCC is believed to bind to
TLR-2 and
TLR-4, and act as an immune modulator,[8] as Immune cells such as
CD4+ and
CD8+T cells and
natural killer (NK) cells will produce
cytokines by either cytokine stimulation by
dendritic cells or ligand binding to TLRs.[9]
Use in integrative medicine
AHCC is widely used in the world and many people use it for general health maintenance and treatment of various diseases.
It is often used as a
complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for immune support,[4] as reports in animal and clinical settings have indicated that AHCC is associated with an enhanced response to infection and increased survival.[10][11] AHCC is in some cases also used by those undergoing conventional cancer therapy (e.g. chemotherapy[5]) for its reported immunomodulatory functions.[12]
In Japan, AHCC is the 2nd most popular complementary and alternative medicine used by cancer patients. Agaricus blazei supplements are the most popular, outpacing AHCC use by a factor of 7:1.[2]
Research
Laboratory research suggests AHCC may have
immunostimulatory effects.
AHCC has been proposed as a treatment for cancer, but research into its effectiveness has produced only uncertain and inconclusive evidence.[1] Detailed research is needed into the pharmacology of AHCC before any recommendation of its use as an
adjuvant therapy can be made.
Studies have suggested that AHCC supplementation may affect immune outcomes and immune cell populations, suggesting that it has
anti-inflammatory effects.[13] Moreover, available data have demonstrated that AHCC may possibly reduce symptoms, improve survival, and shorten recovery time in animal models infected with
viruses,
bacteria, and
fungal infections.[14][15]
^
abAnil D. Kulkarni; Philip Calder; Toshinori Ito (2016). Clinician's Guide to AHCC. International Congress on Nutrition and Integrative Medicine.
ISBN978-4-9909264-1-0.
^
abIto, Toshinori; Urushima, Hayato; Sakaue, Miki; Yukawa, Sayoko; Honda, Hatsumi; Hirai, Kei; Igura, Takumi; Hayashi, Noriyuki; Maeda, Kazuhisa (2014-03-10). "Reduction of Adverse Effects by a Mushroom Product, AHCC in Patients With Advanced Cancer During Chemotherapy—The Significance of the Levels of HHV-6 DNA in Saliva as a Surrogate Biomarker During Chemotherapy". Nutrition and Cancer. 66 (3): 377–382.
doi:
10.1080/01635581.2014.884232.
ISSN0163-5581.
PMID24611562.
S2CID22715995.
^Fujii H, Nakagawa T: Novel substance having physiological activity, process for producing the same, and use, U.S. Patent Application Publication, Mar 6, 2003.
^Mallet, Jean-François; Graham, Émilie; Ritz, Barry W.; Homma, Kohei; Matar, Chantal (2015-01-18). "AHCC promotes an intestinal immune response in BALB/c mice and in primary intestinal epithelial cell culture involving toll-like receptors TLR-2 and TLR-4". European Journal of Nutrition. 55 (1): 139–146.
doi:
10.1007/s00394-015-0832-2.
ISSN1436-6207.
PMID25596849.
S2CID24880929.
^Zhinan Yin; Hajime Fujii; Thomas Walshe (August 2010). "Effects of AHCC on Frequency of CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells Producing Interferon-γ and/or Tumor Necrosis factor-α in Healthy Adults". Human Immunology. 71 (12): 1187–1190.
doi:
10.1016/j.humimm.2010.08.006.
PMID20732368.