SX-Fraction: Great Promise for Treatment of Syndrome X and Type II Diabetes

© Copyright 2003 by Sensuke Konno, Ph.D.
Department of Urology, New York Medical College
(Explore Issue: Volume 12, Number 2)

Summary:
Maitake literally means “dancing mushroom”, which probably originated from a myth that people who found this enticing and precious mushroom with great health benefits had danced with joy. Maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa) has been available by cultivation since the mid-1980s, allowing scientists/researchers to study the potential medicinal properties that had been claimed in anecdotes and folklore. Maitake has been initially shown to have immune stimulatory activity and antitumor effect, while other potential health benefits, such as prevention/treatment for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and common and specific (hepatitis B and HIV) infections have been demonstrated or postulated. Recently, apoptosis-inducing activity of maitake (also known as maitake D-fraction) has been confirmed in human prostatic cancer cells in vitro. Separate study further showed a chemosensitizing effect of maitake, in which the cytotoxic activity of anticancer agent, carmustine, was significantly enhanced in combination with D-fraction, resulting in approximately 90% cell viability reduction (cell death). These results suggest that maitake may offer an alternative treatment modality for prostate cancer and may also work cooperatively with ongoing chemotherapy.

In the meantime, the possibility of maitake mushroom as a safe, natural agent for treatment of diabetes (Type II) and Syndrome X, accompanied by “insulin resistance”, has been examined for the past several years. Several animal studies showed that a fraction of maitake did have glucose-lowering potential. In one study, the diabetic mice were divided into two groups: one group had the maitake extract in its feed while the other group served as a control group, consuming normal feed. After 8 weeks, the extract-treated group had significant improvements in three parameters of diabetes, blood glucose, insulin, and triglyceride levels. These treated mice also showed improvement in their body weights. The study was continued, with the former control group receiving the extract while the former treatment group serving as the control. This “switch” was done for a 4-week period to eliminate the possibility of body weight affecting the outcome and ensure that the extract was responsible for the results. Even after 1 week, it became clear that the extract was responsible for improvements in the three parameters without any body-weight changes. Therefore, this study confirmed that maitake extract is capable of modulating blood glucose, insulin, and triglyceride levels, suggesting that the extract is a potential antidiabetic agent.