AHCC® Safe in Combo with Chemo Agents

PURCHASE, N.Y.—A recently published study in the Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology (2008;6(3):105-09) by researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center with the support of researchers from Amino Up Chemical Company in Sapporo, Japan has demonstrated that AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound) can be safely used in combination with most chemotherapy agents. AHCC is a leading and commonly utilized dietary supplement for immune enhancement and cancer.
The study was designed to determine how AHCC interacts with select chemotherapy agents. As most chemotherapy agents undergo metabolism in the body through the CYP450 (Cytochrome P-450) pathway, this parameter was investigated in combination with four isoenzymes (3A4, 2C8, 2C9 and 2D6). This was followed by an evaluation of AHCC by including it as a substrate of these same isoenzymes.
The results of this in vitro metabolism study indicated AHCC is not an inhibitor of the major CYP450 isoenzyme pathways. Therefore, AHCC is safe and unlikely to result in increased toxicity when used in combination with commonly used chemotherapeutic agents such as Cyclophosphamide, Ifosfamide, Paclitaxel, Docetaxel, Irinotecan, Vincristine, Interferon and Imatinib. AHCC may have the potential to induce metabolism of drugs metabolized via the CYP450 2D6 pathway. Fortunately, the CYP450 2D6 is not a predominant pathway for metabolism of the most commonly used chemotherapy agents.
“Research shows AHCC benefits cancer patients with its antitumor effects as well as its potential restorative effects on natural killer (NK) cells, macrophages and cytokines after anticancer chemotherapy,” said Judith Smith, Pharm.D., BCOP, FCCP, FISOPP, department of gynecologic oncology, division of surgery with the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. “The safety of AHCC in combination with anti-cancer agents needed evaluation and this study confirms AHCC is safe to administer with most chemotherapy agents.”
In addition to this study, research completed at other institutions with AHCC has shown it activates important immune white blood cells, including macrophages, NK cells and Lymphokine-Activated Killer (LAK) cells. AHCC also induces the production of cytokines that serve as chemical messengers between cells. AHCC has been the subject of over 80 research studies worldwide including studies completed at Harvard University’s Faulkner Hospital, Yale University and Columbia University Medical Center.