110
GI effect as white bread, while intake of boiled oat kernels tested at the same time
gave lower glucose and insulin responses (Granfeldt et al. 1995). Tapola et al.
(2005) studied volunteers with type-2 diabetes fed on oat bran flour, oat bran crisp,
and a glucose load providing 12.5 g glycemic carbohydrate (series 1) and 25 g glucose load alone, and 25 g glucose load with 30 g oat bran flour (series 2). In both
series oat bran products rapidly lowered postprandial glucose concentrations than
after the 12.5 g or 25 g glucose load during the 1st h, but the glucose concentration
was greater at 120 min after the oat bran products ingestion than after the glucose
load. This decrease of glucose absorption will decrease insulin release and thereby
attenuate pancreatic insulin response.
Mushrooms are also exemplary anti-diabetic sources of natural medicines.
Mushroom β-glucans lowers blood glucose concentrations by delaying stomach
emptying so that dietary glucose is absorbed gradually (Lo et al. 2006) hence
decrease appetite and reduce food intake. Orally ingested fruiting bodies and the
acidic polysaccharide of both Tremella mesenterica and Tramella aurantia reduced
the blood glucose concentrations in induced diabetic rats (Kiho et al. 1995). Hot
water extracted β-glucans from Agaricus blazei was evaluated and showed antihyperglycemic, anti-hypertriglyceridemic activity indicating overall anti-diabetic
activity in diabetic rats (Kim et al. 2005). β-glucan from G. lucidum is reported to
increase body weight and serum insulin levels, but decrease fasting blood glucose
in streptozotocin induced diabetic mice (Li et al. 2011).
Anticancerous Property
Cancer as broad groups of diseases involving deregulated cell growth is diverse,
complex, and only partially understood, which makes it difficult to cure (StosicGrujicic et al. 2011). Many anti-cancer therapies are available like chemotherapy
and anticancer drugs which are known to be cytotoxic to cancer cells, but at the
same time, they are toxic to normal cells and harmful to the immune system (Yang
et al. 2007). Therefore, there is a need for new and natural anticancer compounds of
low or without toxicity to normal cells. β-glucan obtained from cereals, fungi, seaweeds, yeasts and bacteria is considered as one of the active compounds responsible
for the immune effects (Chan et al. 2009; Hong and Jung 2014; Jung et al. 2008;
Cheung et al. 2002).
Due to the properties of mushroom β-glucans as immune stimulants, they have
been widely employed in tumor therapies. The mushroom β-glucans that have
shown significant anticancer property against several human cancers in clinical trials includes lentinan from Lentinus edodes, D-fraction from Grifola frondosa,
schizophyllan from Schizophyllum commune, polysaccharide-K (PSK) from
Trametes versicolor, and polysaccharide-peptide (PSP), also from Trametes versicolor (Wasser 2002). It has been demonstrated that a polysaccharide-peptide complex (PSP) isolated from Trametes versicolor significantly reduced proliferation of
MAD-MB-231 breast cancer cells as compared with the control (Chow et al. 2003).
N. Jan et al.
GI effect as white bread, while intake of boiled oat kernels tested at the same time
gave lower glucose and insulin responses (Granfeldt et al. 1995). Tapola et al.
(2005) studied volunteers with type-2 diabetes fed on oat bran flour, oat bran crisp,
and a glucose load providing 12.5 g glycemic carbohydrate (series 1) and 25 g glucose load alone, and 25 g glucose load with 30 g oat bran flour (series 2). In both
series oat bran products rapidly lowered postprandial glucose concentrations than
after the 12.5 g or 25 g glucose load during the 1st h, but the glucose concentration
was greater at 120 min after the oat bran products ingestion than after the glucose
load. This decrease of glucose absorption will decrease insulin release and thereby
attenuate pancreatic insulin response.
Mushrooms are also exemplary anti-diabetic sources of natural medicines.
Mushroom β-glucans lowers blood glucose concentrations by delaying stomach
emptying so that dietary glucose is absorbed gradually (Lo et al. 2006) hence
decrease appetite and reduce food intake. Orally ingested fruiting bodies and the
acidic polysaccharide of both Tremella mesenterica and Tramella aurantia reduced
the blood glucose concentrations in induced diabetic rats (Kiho et al. 1995). Hot
water extracted β-glucans from Agaricus blazei was evaluated and showed antihyperglycemic, anti-hypertriglyceridemic activity indicating overall anti-diabetic
activity in diabetic rats (Kim et al. 2005). β-glucan from G. lucidum is reported to
increase body weight and serum insulin levels, but decrease fasting blood glucose
in streptozotocin induced diabetic mice (Li et al. 2011).
Anticancerous Property
Cancer as broad groups of diseases involving deregulated cell growth is diverse,
complex, and only partially understood, which makes it difficult to cure (StosicGrujicic et al. 2011). Many anti-cancer therapies are available like chemotherapy
and anticancer drugs which are known to be cytotoxic to cancer cells, but at the
same time, they are toxic to normal cells and harmful to the immune system (Yang
et al. 2007). Therefore, there is a need for new and natural anticancer compounds of
low or without toxicity to normal cells. β-glucan obtained from cereals, fungi, seaweeds, yeasts and bacteria is considered as one of the active compounds responsible
for the immune effects (Chan et al. 2009; Hong and Jung 2014; Jung et al. 2008;
Cheung et al. 2002).
Due to the properties of mushroom β-glucans as immune stimulants, they have
been widely employed in tumor therapies. The mushroom β-glucans that have
shown significant anticancer property against several human cancers in clinical trials includes lentinan from Lentinus edodes, D-fraction from Grifola frondosa,
schizophyllan from Schizophyllum commune, polysaccharide-K (PSK) from
Trametes versicolor, and polysaccharide-peptide (PSP), also from Trametes versicolor (Wasser 2002). It has been demonstrated that a polysaccharide-peptide complex (PSP) isolated from Trametes versicolor significantly reduced proliferation of
MAD-MB-231 breast cancer cells as compared with the control (Chow et al. 2003).
N. Jan et al.