Japanese mushroom extract kills off HPV in cervical cancer cells

Researchers have demonstrated that treating cervical cancer cells with Japanese mushroom extract active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) led to the eradication of HPV, human papillomavirus (HPV).

In the study cervical cancer cells were treated with AHCC and incubated for 72 hours with sampling every 24 hours. The study was then repeated in two orthotopic mouse models, one HPV positive and other HPV negative control.

The HPV expression was eradicated with once daily AHCC dosing for 90 days with durable response after 30 day observation off treatment. Dr. Judith A. Smith, Pharm.D., at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) Medical School at Houston, then repeated the study to confirm findings and added sampling for correlative testing of immune markers to determine the mechanism by which AHCC eradicates the HPV virus.

These data suggest AHCC can eliminate HPV infections and may have a role in the prevention of HPV-related cancers. A confirmatory pilot study in HPV+ women is underway at UTHealth Women's Center.

AHCC works as an immunotherapy, which is a treatment that uses a body's own immune system to help fight disease. Human and in-vivo studies have shown that AHCC increases the number and/or activity of Natural Killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells, and cytokines, which enable the body to effectively respond to infections and block the proliferation of tumors.