CAM and NK Cells英文文献资料.docVIP

eCAM 2004;1(1)17–27 Review CAM and NK Cells Kazuyoshi Takeda and Ko Okumura Department of Immunology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan It is believed that tumor development, outgrowth and metastasis are under the surveillance of the immune system. Although both innate and acquired immune systems play roles, innate immunity is the spearhead against tumors. Recent studies have revealed the critical role of natural killer (NK) cells in immune surveillance and that NK cell activity is considerably influenced by various agents, such as environmental factors, stress, foods and drugs. Some of these NK cell stimulants have been used in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) since ancient times. Therefore, the value of CAM should be re-evaluated from this point of view. In this review, we overview the intimate correlation between NK cell functions and CAM agents, and discuss possible underlying mechanisms mediating this. In particular, neuro-immune crosstalk and receptors for CAM agents are the most important and interesting candidates for such mechanisms. Keywords: β-glucan – lectin – NK cell receptor – nerve-immune crosstalk – tumor Introduction Why are NK Cells Important? It has been well known since ancient times that complemen- tary and alternative medicine (CAM), including exercise, provides a lot of benefit to health. Many CAM modalities are believed to prevent or even cure diseases, especially morbid ones such as cancer. However, until recently conventional medicine has largely rejected the use of CAM agents because little biological evidence has been provided for the functional mechanisms of many of them. For the past few decades, the value of CAM has been rediscovered by many modern scien- tific researchers. Modulation of immune functions by CAM agents is the mechanism most widely analyzed and has been suggested to provide some scientific evidence for the biologi- cal effects of various CAM agents. Specifically, evide