Why do my hands itch from harvesting Fresh Forest Shiitake? Lentinan anti-cancer medicine!

 Just harvested a pound of very dark medicinal Fall Forest Shiitake! Half from a big Oak that I inoculated some seven years ago - and the other half from the logs I inoculated two springs ago (a year and half ago). Anticarcinogenic potential of the mushroom polysaccharide lentinan on gastric and colon cancer cells

 Mushrooms have been known as the elixirs of health, they are well known from ages immemorial for their nutritional and medicinal properties immunoceutical and immunomodulatory properties. Lentinula edodes (“shiitake”) is a well-accomplished mushroom for its biological and medicinal attributes of huge significance. Lentinan is a bioactive polysaccharide that is extracted from shiitake mushrooms. In the present study, standard commercially available lentinan polysaccharide was used to demonstrate its anticancer activity. The results confirmed the anti-cancer cell proliferative effect of lentinan on colon and gastric cancer cell lines through the inhibition of G₂/M phase in the cell cycle. Lentinan also could attenuate wound healing and colony formation abilities and migration in AGS and HT-29 cells, demonstrating its tumorigenesis potential. Lentinan could increase phospho-p38 and decrease phopho-ERK1/2, Mu-2-related death-inducing gene (MuD) protein. Besides, lentinan also induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production which was directly involved in cell death. In this study, various aspects of the anticarcinogenic activity of lentinan including the MuD influence have been demonstrated. This is the first report evidencing cross-talk by lentinan and MuD protein confirming the anti-apoptotic function of lentinan.

No, lentinan is not a protein; it is a high-molecular-weight polysaccharide (a type of complex carbohydrate) extracted from the shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes). [1, 2]

Key Facts About Lentinan

Chemical Structure: It consists entirely of glucose molecules linked together as a beta-glucan (specifically a β-D-glucan with a triple-helix structure). [1, 2]
Function: It acts as an immunomodulator, meaning it helps stimulate the body's immune system by activating immune cells like macrophages and dendritic cells. [1, 2]
Distinction: It is sometimes confused with lentin, which is a distinct antifungal protein also found in shiitake mushrooms

 

Not to brag but the Shiitake I just harvested were WAY more medicinal - big and dark.

thanks,

drew

EcoEcho Cultivation 

 

Comprehensive mechanisms and advanced delivery strategies of lentinan in antitumor therapy: a review

C Zhen, J Guo, R Li, H Xiao, J Yang, L Wang - Colloids and Surfaces B …, 2025 - Elsevier

Lentinan (LNT) is a bioactive polysaccharide derived from shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula
edodes). It exhibits a unique triple-helix structure and specific glycosidic bonds, which confer …

 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927776525007350 

 

 

Lentinan's unique triple-helix structure enables superior bioactivity and stability compared to other β-glucans.

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Lentinan dual antitumor: Dectin-1 modulates immunity & directly suppresses tumors via apoptosis/oncogenic pathways.

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Lentinan: potent antioxidant—scavenges radicals, upregulates Nrf2 enzymes, fights oxidative stress diseases.

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Lentinan-chemo synergy boosts efficacy, cuts side effects—promising combined treatment.

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Lentinan pH-responsive delivery uses tumor acid microenvironment for precise drug release, boosting cancer therapy.

 

 commonly known as Shiitake mushroom, is a renowned edible fungus in China, celebrated as the "Queen of Mushrooms" and traditionally honored as a "delicacy from the mountains," earning widespread popularity [3]. China is among the world's largest producers and exporters of wild edible fungi, and its cultivated mushroom production value is listed in the top five [4]. Lentinan (LNT), as a natural compound with multiple biological activities, its potential in antitumor treatment has attracted the attention of many scientific researchers and enterprises.