Scientists from National Taiwan University and Yang-Ming Bridge University have discovered a new substance in the rare fungus Taiwan camphor (formerly known as Antrodia cinnamomea) with dual effects. It suppresses inflammation and inhibits the development of cancer cells.
This bright orange mushroom, found only in the mountainous regions of Taiwan, within the decaying wood of the rare camphor tree Cinnamomum kanehirae, has been traditionally used in Chinese and folk medicine. Due to its rarity in nature, it is expensive and difficult to obtain, but now they have learned how to grow it in the laboratory.
During the experiment, the mushroom was cultured in an environment high in ammonium sulfate to stimulate the production of sulfated polysaccharides (SPS), long chains of sugars that can interact with cellular proteins and influence immune responses.
Among the isolated compounds, N50 F2 is noteworthy. It is able to block inflammatory signals by inhibiting the production of cytokines and enzymes that cause inflammation. Tests have shown that N50 F2 is particularly effective in preventing lung cancer cell growth and triggering apoptosis (programmed cell death).
