II regno dei funghi, che comprende in realtá anche le muffe e i lieviti, vanta milioni di esemplari, ma di questi solo una parte é stata finora studiata per comprenderne le caratteristiche e le proprietá. E' un mondo affascinante, che gli scienziati indagano non solo a scopi conoscitivi: alcune delle sostanze prodotte dal metabolismo secondario dei funghi hanno infatti proprietá medicinali, soprattutto antibiotiche (es. penicillina) molto usate dalla medicina occidentale, altre potranno forse essere impiegate nella lotta ai tumori (es. la spirolaxina con attivitá
antiangiogenetica).
Attualmente l'evidenza degli effetti positivi dei funghi nel
trattamento delle malattie degenerative trova sempre maggiori
conferme anche da parte della medicina occidentale e sempre piú
composti da essi isolati si dimostrano promettenti. In questo
contesto si inserisce l'iniziativa di un gruppo di
professionisti: medici, biologi, farmacisti e veterinari
che hanno recentemente costituito
l'Associazione Scientifica Internazionale senza fini di lucro
chiamata "International Mycotherapy Institute".......
www.istitutomicoterapico.it |
"Medicinal
mushrooms: their therapeutic properties and current medical
usage with special emphasis on cancer treatments."
JOHN E SMITH BSc MSc PhD DSc FIBiol FRSE - Emeritus Prof.
of Applied Microbiology, Univ. of Strathclyde, Chief Scientific
Officer, MycoBiotech Ltd, Singapore
NEIL J ROWAN BSc MSc PhD MIBiol MIFST - Lecturer,
Department of Bioscience, University of Strathclyde
RICHARD SULLIVAN BSc MD PhD - Head of Clinical Programmes,
Cancer Research UK
Introduction:
Many of the currently available anti-cancer agents are derived
form natural products, for instance paclitaxel (Taxol), and
camptothecin (Hycamtin) amongst many others. In 2000 Professor
Gordon McVie, Director-General of the Cancer Research Campaign (now
Cancer Research UK) and Professor John Smith of University of
Strathclyde met in Glasgow to discuss the role of medicinal
mushrooms in the treatment of cancer. The CRC had become aware
that these natural products were being used extensively in the
Far East as nutriceuticals (dietary supplements) and as a source
for the generation of pharmaceutical-grade medicines to treat a
wide variety of diseases, including cancer. The substantial
range of medicinal mushroom species from which different
bioactive compounds can be derived suggested that the humble
mushroom could be a source of novel anti-cancer agents. This
monograph is a comprehensive overview of this subject from the technology of
cultivation, extraction and chemistry of medicinal mushroom bioactive compounds to the clinical evidence that suggests an important therapeutic role in
cancer, and other major diseases. The monograph is available for download on a chapter by chapter basis as PDF
documents. If you don't have a copy of Adobe Acrobat, you can download a copy from their website at
www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html. If........... http://www.icnet.uk/labs/med_mush/med_mush.html
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