Preparation of anti-tumor nanoparticles using tiger milk mushroom
A recent breakthrough from Hong Kong Polytechnic University uses tiger milk mushroom to prepare anti-tumor nanoparticles is bringing us one step closer. A natural compound found in mushrooms may hold the key to a new class of cancer drugs. In Tiger Milk mushrooms from Africa, Dr Wong Ka-hing, Associate Director of the Food Safety and Technology Research Centre, has discovered a polysaccharide-protein complex (PSP) which can turn selenium, a common nutrient, into new cancer therapy to benefit millions of breast cancer patients around the world. The use of mushroom PSP as stabilizing force is a significant breakthrough. Combined with cutting-edge nanotechnology, Dr Wong and his team successfully made selenium nanoparticles to destroy breast cancer cells. “Mushroom PSP has striking effects on controlling selenium nanoparticles,” Dr. Wong added, “and a better understanding of this mechanism may help us find the next suitable compounds and make better nano-medicines for a whole host of cancers.”