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Ingredients

Rice Bran Arabinoxylan

MGN-3 · BioBran · Rice bran arabinoxylan compound · Arabinoxylan compound

Snapshot

IndicationsContraindications
  • Adjunct to cancer treatment1
  • Cancer quality of life2
  • Influenza-like illness3
  • NK cell activity in older adults4
  • Aspartate aminotransferase levels5
  • Chronic hepatitis C6
  • Irritable bowel symptoms6

    Rice bran arabinoxylan compound (RBAC), sold as MGN-3 or Biobran, is a polysaccharide from rice bran modified with shiitake mushroom enzymes6. It acts as an immunomodulator that raises natural killer (NK) cell activity4, 7. Supplementation is used as an adjunct during cancer treatment for tolerability and quality of life, and for immune support in older adults8. It is also taken for chronic hepatitis C and irritable bowel symptoms, where the trials are few6.

    Reviews conclude RBAC is an immunomodulator that can complement conventional cancer treatment, while noting the trials are small and short1. A 2026 placebo-controlled pilot trial in patients receiving systemic cancer therapy found better global quality of life with RBAC2. In older adults, a 2021 placebo-controlled pilot trial found fewer influenza-like illnesses with supplementation. More than six thousand products listing rice bran arabinoxylan are marketed; see Form comparison.

    No contraindication appears in the sources, and a meta-analysis of randomized trials found no hepatic adverse effects. RBAC lowers alpha-fetoprotein in hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing standard therapies, which changes that tumor marker during treatment6.

    Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

    In the full monograph

    33 sources, 28 studies

    • When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
    • SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
    • InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
    • Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
    • How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
    • Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
    • Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
    • Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.
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    Sources

    1. 1Evidence-Based Review of BioBran/MGN-3 Arabinoxylan Compound as a Complementary Therapy for Conventional Cancer Treatment.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govOoi, McMullen, Golombick et al. · Integrative cancer therapies · 2018 · Pubmed
    2. 2Effects of rice bran arabinoxylan compound on quality of life of cancer patients during active treatment: a randomised placebo-controlled pilot trial.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govOoi, Micalos, Zielinski et al. · Scientific reports · 2026 · Pubmed
    3. 3Dietary Supplementation with Biobran/MGN-3 Increases Innate Resistance and Reduces the Incidence of Influenza-like Illnesses in Elderly Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Clinical Trial.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govElsaid, Agrawal, Agrawal et al. · Nutrients · 2021 · Pubmed
    4. 4Biobran/MGN-3, an arabinoxylan rice bran, enhances NK cell activity in geriatric subjects: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govElsaid, Shaheen, Ghoneum · Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2018 · Pubmed
    5. 5Is there any hepatic impact associated with rice bran arabinoxylan compound supplementation? A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govNoormohammadi, Ghorbani, Shahinfar et al. · Clinical nutrition ESPEN · 2023 · Pubmed
    6. 6MSKCCmskcc.orgMemorial Sloan Kettering — About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products
    7. 7MGN-3 arabinoxylan rice bran modulates innate immunity in multiple myeloma patients.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govCholujova, Jakubikova, Czako et al. · Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII · 2013 · Pubmed
    8. 8Modified rice bran arabinoxylan as a nutraceutical in health and disease-A scoping review with bibliometric analysis.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govOoi, Micalos, Pak · PloS one · 2023 · Pubmed