The fungus Amanita muscaria is universally recognizable for its iconic appearance; it is also widely regarded as poisonous, inedible, and even deadly. In spite of that, there have been documented cases of use of A. muscaria-containing preparations against various diseases, including cancer, to no apparent ill effect. The search for compounds that can be used to treat cancer among various plants and fungi has been intensifying in recent years. In light of this, we describe an HPLC HILIC analytical method for the evaluation of the content of the anticancer compound ergosterol (ERG) and the neuroactive alkaloids ibotenic acid (IBO) and muscimol (MUS) that contribute significantly to the unpleasant physiological syndrome associated with A. muscaria consumption. A ‘homemade’ A. muscaria tincture made using 80-proof rye vodka as the solvent, an A. muscaria extract made with a standardized water–ethanol solution as the solvent, and fractions obtained from the second extract via liquid–liquid extraction with nonpolar solvents were analyzed. The study also presents the results of capillary zone electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection and UHPLC-MS/MS analyses of the IBO and MUS content of the two native A. muscaria extracts and an evaluation of the standardized extract’s cytotoxic effect against a small panel of lung cell cultures in vitro. Our results show that the standardized extract has a significant cytotoxic effect and does not contain the compounds of interest in any significant quantity.

This study investigated the anti-proliferative effects of biologically active substances (BAS) derived from the mucus of the garden snail Helix aspersa on breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and a non-cancerous cell line (MCF-10A). Two mucus fractions with different molecular weights (Mw) were examined, and their interactions with the chemotherapy drugs cisplatin and tamoxifen were evaluated. The results showed that the mucus fractions exhibited a slight anti-proliferative effect on breast cancer cells, with the fraction having Mw above 50 kDa demonstrating stronger activity compared to the fraction with Mw above 20 kDa. Furthermore, the combination of the mucus fractions with cisplatin or tamoxifen resulted in significant reductions in the half effective dose, indicating possible synergistic effects which were more pronounced with the fraction having Mw above 20 kDa. Dose-response curves and microscopic images supported the presence of such effects, revealing lower IC50 values and significant cell death when the cancer cells were treated with the combination of the mucus fractions and chemotherapy drugs. However, the analysis using the (highest single agent) HSA model indicated mostly additive interactions between the mucus fractions and chemotherapy drugs. These findings suggest the potential of biologically active substances derived from Helix aspersa mucus in enhancing the anti-proliferative effects of chemotherapy drugs in breast cancer treatment. The identification of additive interactions provides insights into the development of combination therapies with reduced drug dosage. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of the anti-proliferative effects of Helix aspersa mucus fractions and their interactions with chemotherapy drugs, highlighting their potential as novel therapeutic approaches in breast cancer treatment.