Drug & supplement interaction

Lentinan + Ritlecitinib

Ritlecitinib brand name: Litfulo.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Lentinan has a moderate interaction with Ritlecitinib. Laboratory research suggests that lentinan might increase the activity of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4).

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Lentinan and Ritlecitinib

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Ritlecitinib

Ritlecitinib falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Lentinan interacts with.

Laboratory research suggests that lentinan might increase the activity of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). So far, this interaction has not been reported in humans. However, watch for a decrease in the levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4 in patients taking lentinan.
Some drugs metabolized by CYP3A4 include lovastatin (Mevacor), ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), fexofenadine (Allegra), triazolam (Halcion), and numerous others.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the situation with Litfulo (ritlecitinib), the once-daily pill for severe alopecia areata. Your body partly clears this medicine using a liver enzyme called CYP3A4. Lentinan, the shiitake mushroom beta-glucan, has shown in early lab work that it might speed up that same enzyme. If that were to happen in people, ritlecitinib could be broken down faster, leaving lower levels in your body and possibly making it work less well for regrowing your hair.

I want to keep this in perspective, though. This is only test-tube and animal data, and it has never actually been reported in humans, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Ritlecitinib isn't a prodrug, so the concern is reduced benefit rather than more side effects. Still, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or dermatologist before adding lentinan.

References
  1. Lin Y, Wei Y, Hu X, et al. Evaluation of lentinan effects on cytochrome P450 activity in rats by a cocktail method. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2019;22(3):296-301.

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Lentinan Also Interacts With Other Medications

Lentinan has 813 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Ritlecitinib one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Lentinan

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Lentinan. Pick one to open its full report.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ritlecitinib

This page covers Lentinan only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ritlecitinib page lists 192 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 151 moderate · 38 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ritlecitinib page

“For anyone on ritlecitinib (Litfulo), the immune-calming pill for severe alopecia areata, I would treat this page with real care, starting with its three major-rated entries. Grapefruit and St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ritlecitinib interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Lentinan as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 1 real supplement products containing Lentinan, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Lentinan. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Ritlecitinib too, on top of Lentinan — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Lentinan and Ritlecitinib Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Lentinan
Steady interest

#838 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Ritlecitinib
Steady interest

#1,715 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Lentinan

What is Lentinan?

Lentinan
  • Immune support
  • Used alongside cancer treatment
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • General wellness/tonic
  • Antimicrobial support

Lentinan is a beta-glucan polysaccharide from shiitake mushrooms that is studied mainly as an immune-modulating add-on to cancer chemotherapy, where it is given by injection in a few countries. Evidence for oral supplements is limited, and quality varies widely between products. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have a health condition or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Read the full Lentinan monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Lentinan

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Lentinan — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
813Moderate
0Minor
2,016No known interaction
Moderate

813 interactions

Showing 60 of 813 moderate interactions — see all 813 on the Lentinan page.

No interaction 2,016 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Lentinan against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,016 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Lentinan list.

Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Lentinan and Ritlecitinib Together: Common Questions

Can you take Lentinan with Ritlecitinib?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Lentinan and Ritlecitinib interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Ritlecitinib and Lentinan?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.