Lentinan

Product Description

Description

Other Names:

Lenticus edodes, Lentinan edodes, lentinan, Lentinula edodes, Lentinus edodes, Lentinus edodes polysaccharide derivative, polysaccharide derived from Lentinus edodes, Tricholomopsis edodes.

Lentinan is a substance that comes from the shiitake mushroom.

Chemistry

The shiitake mushroom contains starch, fiber, chitin, and high amounts of protein. 2 Lentinan is a water-soluble, high molecular weight polysaccharide in a triple helix structure, containing only glucose molecules with mostly (**3)-beta-D-glucan linkages in the regularly branched main chain with 2 beta (1,6)-D-glucopyranoside branchings for every 5 beta-(1,3)-glucopyranoside linear linkages. 1 , 3 Lentinan, which is thermolabile, 4 is found in very low concentrations in fresh shiitake mushrooms (approximately 0.*2%); at least 5 additional polysaccharides have been isolated from L. edodes . 5

Other constituents of interest found in the mushroom include the antioxidant phenolic compounds gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, and catechin 6 ; as well as eritadenine, 7 , 8 selenium (as selenomethionine), 9 ergosterol, vitamin D, and calcium. *0 , *1

Medical professionals use lentinan to boost the effects of regular medicines used for treating cancer and HIV infection. They give lentinan intravenously (by IV) or as a shot (by injection).

How does it work?

Lentinan might increase the effects of certain medications that fight viruses and cancer. It might also increase the activity of some of the bodys defense (immune) cells.