Active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) is a nutritional product prepared from the mycelia of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) mushrooms. Like other mushrooms, it contains a mixture of polysaccharides, amino acids, and minerals. AHCC is also rich in alpha-1,4-glucan oligosaccharides, which are believed to enhance its biologic activities ⁽⁵⁾. Patients use AHCC to prevent and treat cancer.

Animal models suggest that AHCC has antioxidant effects and may protect against disorders induced by oxidative stress ⁽¹⁾. It also enhanced resistance against bacterial ⁽³⁾ and viral infections ⁽⁴⁾, and has anti-inflammatory effects against colitis ⁽²⁰⁾. In healthy human subjects, AHCC improved T-cell immune responses ⁽¹⁹⁾; increased dendritic cell number and function ⁽⁶⁾; improved antibody response to influenza vaccine ⁽²¹⁾; and when used with Bifidobacterium longum, may modulate T regulatory and dendritic cell phenotypes to favor anti-inflammatory responses after antibiotic use ⁽³⁰⁾.

Preclinical findings suggest anticancer effects ^{(7) (8) (29)}. In cisplatin-treated mice, AHCC increased antitumor activity while reducing side effects ⁽⁹⁾, and showed synergistic effects with gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer cells ⁽²²⁾. In humans, findings from a prospective cohort study suggest AHCC improved prognosis after curative resection of hepatocellular carcinoma ⁽¹⁰⁾. AHCC may also reduce chemotherapy-associated adverse effects in patients with advanced cancer ⁽²³⁾, and in those with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) ⁽²⁵⁾. However, an open-label multicenter study of patients with early stage prostate cancer found AHCC was ineffective in reducing prostate-specific antigen levels by 50% or more ⁽¹¹⁾. Further research is needed.