TNF-α, a powerful tool of the Immune System

TNF-α (Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha) is a chemical which is used by many immune system cells. A list of a few of its biological functions is presented below.

1. TNF-α is known to stimulate unhealthy cells of the body to shut down, an essential cellular process of the human body known as apoptosis.

2. Another role of TNF-α is to disrupt and inhibit the process of viruses and bacterial infections.

3. TNF-α also directs the processes of many different types of immune system cells. For example, TNF-α serves as a powerful attractant to signal neutrophils (the most common white blood cell of the immune system in the human body) to move to a specific location. TNF-α also increases the phagocytotic process of macrophages (the main process in which macrophages rid the body of pathogens and unhealthy cells).

Agaricus blazei (ABM) has demonstrated ability to induce TNF-α in both in vitro studies as well as in vivo studies. In vitro research has demonstrated ABM could increase TNF-α in two varieties of cell types, human monocytes and human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

In vivo research demonstrated ABM enhanced TNF-α in an animal model. In the particular experiment mice were infected with a lethal strain of the bacteria S. pneumoniae. Half of the mice received ABM prior to infection while the rest of the mice did not.
Scientists confirmed mice given ABM experienced an increase in
TNF-α (relative to mice not given ABM) by way of monitoring gene expression and gene products using microarrays and immunoassays. In addition, mice which received ABM had a higher rate of survival and lower rates of the lethal S. pneumoniae infection. Scientists concluded that since ABM had no antibiotic effect on S. pneumoniae, the increased resistance to S. pneumoniae was due to an upregulation of the immune system.


References:
Bernardshaw S, Hetland G, Ellertsen LK, Tryggestad AM, Johnson E (December 2005), "An extract of the medicinal mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill differentially stimulates production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in human monocytes and human vein endothelial cells in vitro", Inflammation 29 (4-6): 147–153, doi:10.1007/s10753-006-9010-2, PMID 17091395

Bernardshaw S, Johnson E, Hetland G (October 2005), "An extract of the mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill administered orally protects against systemic Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in mice", Scand J Immunol 62 (4): 393–398, doi:10.1111/j.1365-3083.2005.01667.x, PMID 16253127