Glucan from suppresses breast cancer proliferation and metastasis by regulating macrophage polarization and the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway.

The glucan extract of () has multiple biological properties, similar to extracts of other natural edible fungi. Drugs traditionally used in cancer treatment are associated with several drawbacks, such as side effects, induction of resistance, and poor prognosis, and many recent studies have focused on polysaccharides extracted from natural sources as alternatives. Our study focuses on the therapeutic role and molecular mechanism of action of in breast cancer progression. MMTV-PyMT transgenic mice were used as the spontaneous breast cancer mice model. Immunoblotting, hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence were used to evaluate the tumor behaviors in breast cancer. The inflammatory cell model was constructed using TNF-α. Macrophage activation and WNT/β-catenin signaling were assayed using western blotting and immunofluorescence. management significantly inhibited tumor growth and promoted tumor cell apoptosis in MMTV-PyMT transgenic mice. Besides, the challenge also attenuated the ability of breast tumors to metastasize into lung tissues. Mechanistically, treatment restrained the polarization of M1 macrophages to M2 macrophages and suppressed WNT/β-catenin signaling in mouse tumor tissues, which implied that -mediated tumor inhibition partly occurred regulating the inflammatory response. Findings from experiments confirmed that inhibited the TNF-α-induced nuclear transportation of β-catenin, thus preventing inflammation signaling and the expression of c-Myc in MCF-7 cells. inhibits breast cancer growth and metastasis by regulating macrophage polarization and the WNT/β-catenin signaling axis. The findings of this study suggest that may be a promising therapeutic strategy for breast cancer.