Antitumor activity of a fungal glucan tylopilan and Propionibacterium acnes preparation

Abstract

The study evaluated the antitumor activity of tylopilan, aβ- (1→3) (1→6) linked glucan isolated from fruiting bodies of Tylopilus felleus (Bull.: Fr.) P. Karst. (Boletaceae), and Propionibacterium acnes (P.a.) preparation. The antitumor effect of tylopilan and P.a. used alone or in combination was studied in NMRI mice inoculated i.p. with 106 180-TG Crocker tumor cells. All experiments were based on a pretreatment with tylopilan and/or P.a. 5 days and/or 2 h before tumor cell inoculation. Mean survival time (MST) of tumor - bearing mice was significantly prolonged in comparison to control mice by a single injection of tylopilan (25 µg/mouse or 50 µg/mouse) or P.a. (1 mg/mouse). MST was 23.6; 22.8 days in the tylopilan injected mice and 17.5 in the control animals. Tylopilan injected in conjunction with P.a. prolonged signifi-cantly MST in comparison to control mice as well as to tylopilan alone treated mice. We have found that P.a. which stimulate immune response enhanced significantly antitumor activity of tylopilan. The cytotoxicity of tylopilan at concentrations of 300, 150, 75 and 37.5 µg/ml towards 180-TG Crocker cells in vitro studies was evaluated. All examined tylopilan concentrations showed cytotoxic activity.