Role of Polysaccharides Extracted from Human-type Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Collagen Proliferation and the Suppression of Cancer Growth : From a Point of Pathobiological View
The antitumor activity of Specific Substance Maruyama (SSM) consists of the activation and intensification of collagen proliferation in response to carcinoma. Experiments in vitro and in vivo (xenografts) indicated that SSM did not directly damage cancer cells, but that it did accelerate the proliferation of collagen fibers of the stroma. These collagen fibers enclosed the cancer cells, preventing their prolifer ation. Also, SSM remarkably accelerated the proliferation of collagen fibers under a specific or nonspecific immune condition. A basic activity of SSM thus appears to be the stimulation of the proliferation of collagen fibers in stroma invaded by cancer cells. The small blood vessels, blood capillaries, muscle fibers, and nerve fibers are partially composed of collagen. Furthermore, the biosynthesis of collagen seems to be accelerated by SSM in the carcinomatous necrotic lesions ― a process that may also occur in fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and the extracellular matrices and cancer cells.
