Anticancer and antimetastatic effects of cordycepin, an active component of Cordyceps sinensis

Bioactive compounds from Cordyceps and their therapeutic potential

The Clavicipitaceae family's largest and most diverse genus is Cordyceps. They are most abundant and diverse in humid temperate and tropical forests and have a wide distribution in: Europe, North America, and East and Southeast Asian countries, particularly: Bhutan, China, Japan, Nepal, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Tibet, and the Himalayan region of India, and Sikkim. It is a well-known parasitic fungus that feeds on insects and other arthropods belonging to 10 different orders. Over 200 bioactive metabolites, that include: nucleotides and nucleosides, polysaccharides, proteins, polypeptides, amino acids, sterols, and fatty acids, among others have been extracted from Cordyceps spp. demonstrating the phytochemical richness of this genus. These components have been associated with a variety of pharmacological effects, including: anti-microbial, anti-apoptotic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory activities. In this paper, the bioactivity of various classes of metabolites produced by Cordyceps spp., and their therapeutic properties have been reviewed in an attempt to update the existing literature. Furthermore, one of its nucleoside and a key bioactive compound, cordycepin has been critically elaborated with regard to its biosynthesis pathway and the recently proposed protector-protégé mechanism as well as various biological and pharmacological effects, such as: suppression of purine and nucleic acid biosynthesis, induction of apoptosis, and cell cycle regulation with their mechanism of action. This review provides current knowledge on the bioactive potential of Cordyceps spp.

Adjuvant treatment with Cordyceps sinensis for lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Cordyceps sinensis (CS) is a fungus parasitic on lepidopteran larvae which is often used to treat lung diseases and regulate immune function.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of CS in the adjuvant treatment of lung cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

As of June 2022, the electronic database search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database and China Science Journal Database (VIP database). Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated the efficacy of CS as an adjuvant treatment for lung cancer were included. After the quality evaluation, meta-analysis was performed with Stata 16.0 software.

RESULTS

A total of 12 RCTs with 928 patients were identified for this meta-analysis, which showed that as an adjuvant treatment, CS has the following advantages in the treatment of lung cancer: (1) Improved tumor response rate (TRR) (RR: 1.17， 95%CI: 1.05-1.29，P = 0.00); (2) improved immune function, including increased CD4 (MD: 4.98, 95%CI: 1.49-8.47, P = 0.01), CD8 (MD: 1.60, 95%CI: 0.40-2.81, P = 0.01, I2 = 0.00%), NK (MD: 4.17, 95%CI: 2.26-6.08, P = 0.00), IgA (MD: 1.29, 95%CI: 0.35-2.24, P = 0.01), IgG (MD: 3.95, 95%CI: 0.98-6.92, P = 0.01) and IgM (MD: 6.44, 95%CI: 0.63-12.26, P = 0.03); (3) improved patients' quality of life based on the mean ± SD of Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) (MD: 8.20, 95%CI: 6.87-9.53, P = 0.00); (4) reduced the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), including the incidence of myelosuppression (RR: 0.38, 95%CI: 0.19-0.75, P = 0.01), leukopenia (RR: 0.76, 95%CI: 0.63-0.92, P = 0.00), and thrombocytopenia (RR: 0.52, 95%CI: 0.31-0.86, P = 0.01) (5) reduced the incidence of radiation pneumonitis (RR: 0.74, 95%CI: 0.62-0.88, P = 0.00). However, the number of improved patients based on KPS (RR: 1.47, 95%CI: 0.98-2.20, P = 0.06) were similar between two groups, liver and renal damage (RR: 0.32, 95%CI: 0.09-1.10, P = 0.07) and gastrointestinal adverse reactions (RR: 0.80, 95%CI: 0.47-1.37, P = 0.42) as well. Subgroup analysis showed that CS could increase the TRR in the treatment with 6 g/d and 21 days/3-4 cycles.

CONCLUSION

Compared with conventional treatment, adjuvant treatment with CS of lung cancer not only improve TRR, QOL and immune function, but also reduce the incidence of ADRs and radiation pneumonitis. The optimal usage may be 6 g/d and 21 days/3 to 4 cycles.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NO

CRD42022333681.

Mechanisms of cordycepin in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension in rats based on metabonomics and transcriptomics

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal disease featured by high morbidity and mortality. Although Cordycepin is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immune-enhancing effects, its role in PAH treatment and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The therapeutic effects of Cordycepin on rats with PAH were investigated using a monocrotaline (MCT)-induced rat model. The metabolic effects of Cordycepin were assessed based on the plasma metabolome. The potential mechanisms of Cordycepin in PAH treatment were investigated through transcriptome sequencing and validated in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC). Evaluations included hematoxylin and eosin staining for pulmonary vascular remodeling, CCK-8 assay, EDU, and TUNEL kits for cell viability, proliferation, and apoptosis, respectively, and western blot for protein expression. Cordycepin significantly reduced right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI) in PAH rats, and mitigated pulmonary vascular remodeling. Plasma metabolomics showed that Cordycepin could reverse the metabolic disorders in the lungs of MCT-induced PAH rats, particularly impacting linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism pathways. Transcriptomics revealed that the P53 pathway might be the primary pathway involved, and western blot results showed that Cordycepin significantly increased P53 and P21 protein levels in lung tissues. Integrated analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics suggested that these pathways were mainly enriched in linoleic acid metabolism and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism pathway. In vitro experiments demonstrated that Cordycepin significantly inhibited the PDGFBB (PD)-induced abnormal proliferation and migration of PASMC and promoted PD-induced apoptosis. Meanwhile, Cordycepin enhanced the expression levels of P53 and P21 proteins in PD-insulted PASMC. However, inhibitors of P53 and P21 eliminated these effects of Cordycepin. Cordycepin may activate the P53-P21 pathway to inhibit abnormal proliferation and migration of PASMC and promote apoptosis, offering a potential approach for PAH treatment.

Cordyceps sinensis extract protects against acute kidney injury by inhibiting perforin expression in NK cells via the STING/IRF3 pathway

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with immune cell activation and inflammation. However, the putative pathogenic mechanisms of this injury have not been thoroughly investigated. Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in immune regulation; however, whether NK cells regulate AKI remains unclear. Cordyceps sinensis (CS), a modern Chinese patented medicine preparation, has been widely used in treating patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) owing to its anti-inflammatory effects and maintenance of immune homeostasis. Whether 2'-deoxyadenosine, a major active component in CS, can ameliorate renal AKI by regulating immunity, particularly in NK cells, has not been reported. This study is the first to demonstrate how NK cells promote AKI by releasing perforin, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and other inflammatory factors in vivo and in vitro. Differential gene expression between AKI and normal tissues was assessed using bioinformatic analyses. Quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect target protein mRNA and protein expression. Levels of inflammatory factors were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found the high doses of the 2'-deoxyadenosine treatment significantly alleviated FA-induced renal damage in vivo, and alleviated the NK cells of renal injury by activating the STING/IRF3 pathway to inhibit perforin release in vitro. The results showed that 2'-deoxyadenosine could mitigate AKI by downregulating the activity of NK cells (by decreasing the expressions of perforin and IFN-γ) and inhibiting the stimulator of interferon genes and phosphorylated IFN regulatory factor 3. This may provide valuable evidence supporting the clinical use of CS in treating patients with AKI.

Cordyceps as potential therapeutic agents for atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Despite the challenges in managing atherosclerosis, researchers continue to investigate new treatments and complementary therapies. Cordyceps is a traditional Chinese medicine that has recently gained attention as a potential therapeutic agent for atherosclerosis. Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of cordyceps in treating atherosclerosis through various pharmacological actions, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, lowering cholesterol, inhibiting platelet aggregation, and modulating apoptosis or autophagy in vascular endothelial cells. Notably, the current misuse of the terms cordyceps and Ophiocordyceps sinensis has caused confusion among researchers, and complicated the current academic research on cordyceps. This review focuses on the chemical composition, pharmacological actions, and underlying mechanisms contributing to the anti-atherosclerotic effects of cordyceps and the mycelium of Ophiocordyceps spp. This review provides a resource for the research on the development of new drugs for atherosclerosis from cordyceps. Please cite this article as: Zhang Y, Liu SJ. Cordyceps as potential therapeutic agents for atherosclerosis. J Integr Med. 2024; 22(2): 102-114.

Cordycepin: A review of strategies to improve the bioavailability and efficacy

Cordycepin is a bioactive compound extracted from Cordyceps militaris. As a natural antibiotic, cordycepin has a wide variety of pharmacological effects. Unfortunately, this highly effective natural antibiotic is proved to undergo rapid deamination by adenosine deaminase (ADA) in vivo and, as a consequence, its half-life is shortened and bioavailability is decreased. Therefore, it is of critical importance to work out ways to slow down the deamination so as to increase its bioavailability and efficacy. This study reviews recent researches on a series of aspects of cordycepin such as the bioactive molecule's pharmacological action, metabolism and transformation as well as the underlying mechanism, pharmacokinetics and, particularly, the methods for reducing the degradation to improve the bioavailability and efficacy. It is drawn that there are three methods that can be applied to improve the bioavailability and efficacy: to co-administrate an ADA inhibitor and cordycepin, to develop more effective derivatives via structural modification, and to apply new drug delivery systems. The new knowledge can help optimize the application of the highly potent natural antibiotic-cordycepin and develop novel therapeutic strategies.

Integrating Synthesis, Physicochemical Characterization, and In Silico Studies of Cordycepin-Loaded Bovine Serum Albumin Nanoparticles

Cordycepin gets rapidly metabolized in the body into inactive form due to its structural similarity to adenosine, thus inhibiting its development as a medicinal agent. This study was aimed to improve the solubility and stability of cordycepin, a potential drug with known antiproliferative activity, by encapsulating it in bovine serum albumin: β-cyclodextrin nanoparticles. Cordycepin-loaded nanoparticles (CLNPs) were synthesized using the antisolvent method and characterized thoroughly using various techniques. Our dynamic light scattering measurement showed a particle size and zeta potential of 160 ± 2.75 nm and -20.21 ± 2.1 mV, respectively, for CLNPs. Transmission electron microscopy studies revealed that particles were spherical in morphology. These CLNPs showed sustained release of cordycepin with encapsulation and loading efficiency of 81.62 ± 1.5 and 27.02 ± 2.0%, respectively, based on high-performance liquid chromatography and UV-vis studies. Based on differential scanning calorimetry and zeta potential studies, CLNPs improve cordycepin stability and solubility. Our molecular simulations and binding energy calculation also showed favorable protein interaction between cordycepin, bovine serum albumin, and β-cyclodextrin, further supporting the notion of improved stability. In vitro cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and cellular uptake studies on breast cancer cells showed that the synthesized nanoparticles had greater cytotoxicity as compared to free cordycepin.

The role of fibroblast growth factor 18 in cancers: functions and signaling pathways

Fibroblast growth factor 18(FGF18) is a member of the fibroblast growth factor family (FGFs). FGF18 is a class of bioactive substances that can conduct biological signals, regulate cell growth, participate in tissue repair and other functions, and can promote the occurrence and development of different types of malignant tumors through various mechanisms. In this review, we focus on recent studies of FGF18 in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of tumors in digestive, reproductive, urinary, respiratory, motor, and pediatric systems. These findings suggest that FGF18 may play an increasingly important role in the clinical evaluation of these malignancies. Overall, FGF18 can function as an important oncogene at different gene and protein levels, and can be used as a potential new therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for these tumors.

Development of an efficient method for separation and purification of cordycepin from liquid fermentation of Cordyceps militaris and analysis of cordycepin antitumor activity

Cordycepin (3 '-deoxyadenosine) is the main active component of Cordyceps militaris, which is a chemical marker for quality detection of Cordyceps militaris and has important medicinal development value. Existing methods for obtaining cordycepin are complex and costly. In this study, an economical and simple method for separation and purification of cordycepin from Cordyceps militaris fermentation liquid through physical crystallization was explored. First, lyophilized powdered fermentation liquid (LPFL) and pure methanol (1 g/100 mL, w/v) were mixed, and then repeatedly dissolved and crystallized until the precipitation was white. Purified product was obtained by freeze-drying the precipitate. The substance was determined to be cordycepin by high performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy, and the purity was 94.26%. Compared with the existing methods, this method is simple and low cost. In addition, the functional activity of cordycepin was determined by in vitro test. The results exhibited that cordycepin caused death and morphological changes in human colon cancer Caco-2 cells, and significantly inhibited the proliferation of Caco-2 cells, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 107.2 μg/mL. Cordycepin could induce early apoptosis of Caco-2 and caused cell cycle arrest in the G2 phase. Caco-2 cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest showed dose dependence to cordycepin over a certain range. These results improved cordycepin purification method, provided insights into the mechanism of cordycepin in cancer inhibition, and would provide important reference for further development and clinical application of cordycepin.

Increasing the production of the bioactive compounds in medicinal mushrooms: an omics perspective

Macroscopic fungi, mainly higher basidiomycetes and some ascomycetes, are considered medicinal mushrooms and have long been used in different areas due to their pharmaceutically/nutritionally valuable bioactive compounds. However, the low production of these bioactive metabolites considerably limits the utilization of medicinal mushrooms both in commerce and clinical trials. As a result, many attempts, ranging from conventional methods to novel approaches, have been made to improve their production. The novel strategies include conducting omics investigations, constructing genome-scale metabolic models, and metabolic engineering. So far, genomics and the combined use of different omics studies are the most utilized omics analyses in medicinal mushroom research (both with 31% contribution), while metabolomics (with 4% contribution) is the least. This article is the first attempt for reviewing omics investigations in medicinal mushrooms with the ultimate aim of bioactive compound overproduction. In this regard, the role of these studies and systems biology in elucidating biosynthetic pathways of bioactive compounds and their contribution to metabolic engineering will be highlighted. Also, limitations of omics investigations and strategies for overcoming them will be provided in order to facilitate the overproduction of valuable bioactive metabolites in these valuable organisms.

Efficacy and mechanism study of cordycepin against brain metastases of small cell lung cancer based on zebrafish

BACKGROUND

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive tumor with high brain metastasis (BM) potential. There has been no significant progress in the treatment of SCLC for more than 30 years. Cordycepin has shown the therapeutic potential for cancer by modulating multiple cellular signaling pathways. However, the effect and mechanism of cordycepin on anti-SCLC BM remain unknown.

PURPOSE

In this study, we focused on the anti-SCLC BM effect of cordycepin in the zebrafish model and its potential mechanism.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A SCLC xenograft model based on zebrafish embryos and in vitro cell migration assay were established. Cordycepin was administrated by soaking and microinjection in the zebrafish model. RNA-seq assay was performed to analyze transcriptomes of different groups. Geno Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment were performed to reveal the underlying mechanism. Real-time qPCR was used to verify the effects of cordycepin on the key genes.

RESULTS

Cordycepin showed lower cytotoxicity in vitro compared with cisplatin, anlotinib and etoposide, but showed comparable anti-proliferation and anti-BM effects in zebrafish SCLC xenograft model. Cordycepin showed significant anti-SCLC BM effects when administrated by both soaking and microinjection. RNA-seq demonstrated that cordycepin was involved in vitamin D metabolism, lipid transport, and proteolysis in cellular protein catabolic process pathways in SCLC BM microenvironment in zebrafish, and was involved in regulating the expressions of key genes such as cyp24a1, apoa1a, ctsl. The anti-BM effect of cordycepin in SCLC was mediated by reversing the expression of these genes.

CONCLUSION

Our work is the first to describe the mechanism of cordycepin against SCLC BM from the perspective of regulating the brain microenvironment, providing new evidence for the anti-tumor effect of cordycepin.

Synthesis and Characterization of NUC-7738, an Aryloxy Phosphoramidate of 3'-Deoxyadenosine, as a Potential Anticancer Agent

3'-Deoxyadenosine (3'-dA, Cordycepin, 1) is a nucleoside analogue with anticancer properties, but its clinical development has been hampered due to its deactivation by adenosine deaminase (ADA) and poor cellular uptake due to low expression of the human equilibrative transporter (hENT1). Here, we describe the synthesis and characterization of NUC-7738 (7a), a 5'-aryloxy phosphoramidate prodrug of 3'-dA. We show in vitro evidence that 7a is an effective anticancer drug in a panel of solid and hematological cancer cell lines, showing its preferential cytotoxic effects on leukemic stem cells. We found that unlike 3'-dA, the activity of 7a was independent of hENT1 and kinase activity. Furthermore, it was resistant to ADA metabolic deactivation. Consistent with these findings, 7a showed increased levels of intracellular 3'-deoxyadenosine triphosphate (3'-dATP), the active metabolite. Mechanistically, levels of intracellular 3'-dATP were strongly associated with in vitro potency. NUC-7738 is now in Phase II, dose-escalation study in patients with advanced solid tumors.

A simple, rapid, sensitive and eco-friendly LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of free cordycepin and isocordycepin in 10 different kinds of Cordyceps

A simple, rapid, sensitive and eco-friendly liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for simultaneous determination of free cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosine) and isocordycepin (2′-deoxyadenosine) in 10 kinds of Cordyceps samples. The samples were prepared by ultrasonic extraction at 75 °C for 30 min with boiling water as the extraction solvent. The LC separation was performed on an Agilent poroshell 120 SB-Aq C18 column (3.0 × 50 mm, 2.7 μm) in isocratic mode with an eco-friendly mobile phase (2% ethanol containing 0.2% acetic acid) at a flow rate of 0.6 mL min−1, and detected by MS/MS in positive mode with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The developed method showed good linearity (r > 0.9990), sensitivity (LODs = 0.04 pg, LOQ = 0.1 pg), precision (RSD ≤ 3.8%) and stability (RSD ≤ 3.6%). The recoveries of developed method were 94.4–109.5% (RSD ≤ 5.5%). Compared with reported methods, the current method was rapid (less than 35% analytical time), sensitive (more than 5 folds), and eco-friendly (less than 10 μL harmful organic solvent). 10 different kinds of Cordyceps samples (40 batches) were tested by the developed method. Codycepin was only found in Cordyceps millitaris and C. millitaris fruiting body, and isocordycepin was detected in Cordyceps sinensis and other 6 Cordyceps samples. The developed method would be an improved method for the quality evaluation of Cordyceps samples.

Chinese Cordyceps: Bioactive Components, Antitumor Effects and Underlying Mechanism-A Review

Chinese Cordyceps is a valuable source of natural products with various therapeutic effects. It is rich in various active components, of which adenosine, cordycepin and polysaccharides have been confirmed with significant immunomodulatory and antitumor functions. However, the underlying antitumor mechanism remains poorly understood. In this review, we summarized and analyzed the chemical characteristics of the main components and their pharmacological effects and mechanism on immunomodulatory and antitumor functions. The analysis revealed that Chinese Cordyceps promotes immune cells' antitumor function by via upregulating immune responses and downregulating immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment and resetting the immune cells' phenotype. Moreover, Chinese Cordyceps can inhibit the growth and metastasis of tumor cells by death (including apoptosis and autophagy) induction, cell-cycle arrest, and angiogenesis inhibition. Recent evidence has revealed that the signal pathways of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB), cysteine-aspartic proteases (caspases) and serine/threonine kinase Akt were involved in the antitumor mechanisms. In conclusion, Chinese Cordyceps, one type of magic mushroom, can be potentially developed as immunomodulator and anticancer therapeutic agents.

Cordycepin Attenuates Testosterone-Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Rats via Modulation of AMPK and AKT Activation

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a disease that commonly affects elderly men. Cordycepin is an adenosine analog with a wide range of pharmacological activities including antiproliferative and prostatic smooth muscle relaxant effects. This study was designed to assess the actions of cordycepin in testosterone-induced BPH in rats. Animals were divided into six treatment groups: control, cordycepin-alone (10 mg/kg), testosterone-alone (3 mg/kg), cordycepin (5 mg/kg) + testosterone, cordycepin (10 mg/kg) + testosterone, and finasteride (0.5 mg/kg) + testosterone. Treatments were continued daily, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks. Cordycepin significantly prevented the increase in prostate weight and prostate index induced by testosterone. This was confirmed by histopathological examinations. Cordycepin antiproliferative activity was further defined by its ability to inhibit cyclin-D1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression. In addition, cordycepin exhibited significant antioxidant properties as proven by the prevention of lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione diminution, and superoxide dismutase exhaustion. This was paralleled by anti-inflammatory activity as shown by the inhibition of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and nuclear factor-κB expression in prostatic tissues. It also enhanced apoptosis as demonstrated by its ability to enhance and inhibit mRNA expression of Bax and Bcl2, respectively. Western blot analysis indicated that cordycepin augmented phospho-AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) and inhibited p-AKT expression. Collectively, cordycepin has the ability to prevent testosterone-induced BPH in rats. This is mediated, at least partially, by its antiproliferative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and pro-apoptotic actions in addition to its modulation of AMPK and AKT activation.

Cordycepin (3′-Deoxyadenosine) Suppresses Heat Shock Protein 90 Function and Targets Tumor Growth in an Adenosine Deaminase-Dependent Manner

Alterations in metabolism and energy production are increasingly being recognized as important drivers of neoplasia, raising the possibility that metabolic analogs could disrupt oncogenic pathways. 3′-deoxyadenosine, also known as cordycepin, is an adenosine analog that inhibits the growth of several types of cancer. However, the effects of cordycepin have only been examined in a limited number of tumor types, and its mechanism of action is poorly understood. We found that cordycepin slows the growth and promotes apoptosis in uveal melanoma, as well as a range of other hard-to-treat malignancies, including retinoblastoma, atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors, and diffuse midline gliomas. Interestingly, these effects were dependent on low adenosine deaminase (ADA) expression or activity. Inhibition of ADA using either siRNA or pharmacologic approaches sensitized tumors with higher ADA to cordycepin in vitro and in vivo, with increased apoptosis, reduced clonogenic capacity, and slower migration of neoplastic cells. Our studies suggest that ADA is both a biomarker predicting response to cordycepin and a target for combination therapy. We also describe a novel mechanism of action for cordycepin: competition with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in binding to Hsp90, resulting in impaired processing of oncogenic Hsp90 client proteins.

Cordycepin Inhibits Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion by Regulating EMT-TFs SLUG, TWIST1, SNAIL1, and ZEB1

Cancer metastasis is the most important cause of cancer-related death, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays crucial roles in cancer metastasis. Cordycepin (CD) is highly enriched in the medicinally used Cordyceps mushroom. In this study, we conducted the antimetastatic activities of CD, specifically focusing on its regulatory effects on EMT-inducing transcription factors (EMT-TFs) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Our study showed CD to inhibit the growth, migration, and invasion of BT549 and 4T1 cancer cell lines, by employing cell viability assay and real-time cell analyses. The protein levels of N-Cadherin and E-Cadherin, as well as their transcription factors TWIST1, SLUG, SNAIL1, and ZEB1 in BT549 and 4T1 cells, were estimated by Western blot assays. Results from dual-luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that CD is capable of inactivating the EMT signaling pathway by inhibiting TWIST1 and SLUG expression. Furthermore, in vivo studies with mice carrying cancer cell-derived allograft tumors showed the inhibitory effect of CD on cancer cell growth and metastasis. Furthermore, the additive/synergistic anti-metastasis effect of CD and thymoquinone (TQ), another natural product with promising anticancer roles, was demonstrated by combinational treatment. The results from this research indicate that CD would be a promising therapeutic molecule against TNBC by targeting EMT-TFs, possibly in SLUG, TWIST1, SNAIL1, and ZEB1.

Enhancement of cordycepin production from Cordyceps militaris culture by epigenetic modification

Cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine) is a nucleoside analogue and biosynthesised by Cordyceps militaris, an entomopathogenic fungus. In this study, an epigenetic modifier was applied to static liquid cultures to enhance cordycepin production. C. militaris was cultured in a static liquid culture, and valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, was supplemented in order to modifying the epigenetic status. Gene regulatory network was explored to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying cordycepin production. 50 micromolar of VPA enhanced cordycepin production by 41.187% via the upregulation of 5'-nucleotidase, adenylate kinase, phosphorybosyltransferase, Cns1, Cns2, Cnsa3, and Cns4 of C. militaris for at least 2 days after VPA treatment. The maximum production of cordycepin was 2,835.32 ± 34.35 mg/L in 400 mL-working volume. A scaled-up culture was established with a working volume of 10 L, which led to the slight decrease of cordycepin production. This might due to multifactorial effects, for instance limited aeration and an uneven dispersion of nutrients in the culture system. This scaled-up culture was still needed further optimization. The modification of epigenetic status by VPA significantly enhanced cordycepin production by altering key gene regulatory network of C. militaris. The strategy established in this study might be applicable to other microorganism culture in order to improving the production of bioactive compounds. This work aimed to enhance the production of cordycepin by modifying the epigenetic status of C. militaris, in which subsequently altered gene regulatory network of cordycepin biosynthesis pathway. The weekly supplementation of valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, significantly improve cordycepin production over 40%, compared to the untreated control, and the gene regulatory network of C. militaris was also adapted.

The Role of Oxidative Stress in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Intervertebral disc degeneration is a very common type of degenerative disease causing severe socioeconomic impact, as well as a major cause of discogenic low back pain and herniated discs, placing a heavy burden on patients and the clinicians who treat them. IDD is known to be associating with a complex process involving in extracellular matrix and cellular damage, and in recent years, there is increasing evidence that oxidative stress is an important activation mechanism of IDD and that reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species regulate matrix metabolism, proinflammatory phenotype, autophagy and senescence in intervertebral disc cells, apoptosis, autophagy, and senescence. Despite the tremendous efforts of researchers within the field of IDD pathogenesis, the proven strategies to prevent and treat this disease are still very limited. Up to now, several antioxidants have been proved to be effective for alleviating IDD. In this article, we discussed that oxidative stress accelerates disc degeneration by influencing aging, inflammation, autophagy, and DNA methylation, and summarize some antioxidant therapeutic measures for IDD, indicating that antioxidant therapy for disc degeneration holds excellent promise.

New Insights Into the Biosynthesis of Typical Bioactive Components in the Traditional Chinese Medicinal Fungus Cordyceps militaris

Cordyceps militaris, a traditional medicinal ingredient with a long history of application in China, is regarded as a high-value fungus due to its production of various bioactive ingredients with a wide range of pharmacological effects in clinical treatment. Several typical bioactive ingredients, such as cordycepin, D-mannitol, cordyceps polysaccharides, and N⁶-(2-hydroxyethyl)-adenosine (HEA), have received increasing attention due to their antitumor, antioxidant, antidiabetic, radioprotective, antiviral and immunomodulatory activities. Here, we systematically sorted out the latest research progress on the chemical characteristics, biosynthetic gene clusters and pathways of these four typical bioactive ingredients. This summary will lay a foundation for obtaining low-cost and high-quality bioactive ingredients in large amounts using microbial cell factories in the future.

Traditional Herbal Medicine: A Potential Therapeutic Approach for Adjuvant Treatment of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer in the Future

Lung carcinoma is the primary reason for cancer-associated mortality, and it exhibits the highest mortality and incidence in developed and developing countries. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and SCLC are the 2 main types of lung cancer, with NSCLC contributing to 85% of all lung carcinoma cases. Conventional treatment mainly involves surgery, chemoradiotherapy, and immunotherapy, but has a dismal prognosis for many patients. Therefore, identifying an effective adjuvant therapy is urgent. Historically, traditional herbal medicine has been an essential part of complementary and alternative medicine, due to its numerous targets, few side effects and substantial therapeutic benefits. In China and other East Asian countries, traditional herbal medicine is increasingly popular, and is highly accepted by patients as a clinical adjuvant therapy. Numerous studies have reported that herbal extracts and prescription medications are effective at combating tumors. It emphasizes that, by mainly regulating the P13K/AKT signaling pathway, the Wnt signaling pathway, and the NF-κB signaling pathway, herbal medicine induces apoptosis and inhibits the proliferation and migration of tumor cells. The present review discusses the anti-NSCLC mechanisms of herbal medicines and provides options for future adjuvant therapy in patients with NSCLC.

Biomass and Cordycepin Production by the Medicinal Mushroom Cordyceps militaris-A Review of Various Aspects and Recent Trends towards the Exploitation of a Valuable Fungus

Cordyceps militaris is an entomopathogenic ascomycete with similar pharmacological importance to that of the wild caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis. C. militaris has attracted significant research and commercial interest due to its content in bioactive compounds beneficial to human health and the relative ease of cultivation under laboratory conditions. However, room for improvement exists in the commercial-scale cultivation of C. militaris and concerns issues principally related to appropriate strain selection, genetic degeneration of cultures, and substrate optimization. In particular, culture degeneration-usually expressed by abnormal fruit body formation and reduced sporulation-results in important economic losses and is holding back investors and potential growers (mainly in Western countries) from further developing this highly promising sector. In the present review, the main factors that influence the generation of biomass and metabolites (with emphasis on cordycepin biosynthesis) by C. militaris are presented and evaluated in conjunction with the use of a wide range of supplements or additives towards the enhancement of fungal productivity in large-scale cultivation processes. Moreover, physiological and genetic factors that increase or reduce the manifestation of strain degeneration in C. militaris are outlined. Finally, methodologies for developing protocols to be used in C. militaris functional biology studies are discussed.

Identification of Novel Choroidal Neovascularization-Related Genes Using Laplacian Heat Diffusion Algorithm

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is a type of eye disease that can cause vision loss. In recent years, many studies have attempted to investigate the major pathological processes and molecular pathogenic mechanisms of CNV. Because many diseases are related to genes, the genes associated with CNV need to be identified. In this study, we proposed a network-based approach for identifying novel CNV-associated genes. To execute such method, we first employed a protein-protein interaction network reported in STRING. Then, we applied a network diffusion algorithm, Laplacian heat diffusion, on this network by selecting validated CNV-related genes as the seed nodes. As a result, some novel genes that had unknown but strong relationships with validated genes were identified. Furthermore, we used a screening procedure to extract the most essential genes. Eleven latent CNV-related genes were finally obtained. Extensive analyses were performed to confirm that these genes are novel CNV-related genes.

The Role of Autophagy in Anti-Cancer and Health Promoting Effects of Cordycepin

Cordycepin is an adenosine derivative isolated from Cordyceps sinensis, which has been used as an herbal complementary and alternative medicine with various biological activities. The general anti-cancer mechanisms of cordycepin are regulated by the adenosine A3 receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β, leading to cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. Notably, cordycepin also induces autophagy to trigger cell death, inhibits tumor metastasis, and modulates the immune system. Since the dysregulation of autophagy is associated with cancers and neuron, immune, and kidney diseases, cordycepin is considered an alternative treatment because of the involvement of cordycepin in autophagic signaling. However, the profound mechanism of autophagy induction by cordycepin has never been reviewed in detail. Therefore, in this article, we reviewed the anti-cancer and health-promoting effects of cordycepin in the neurons, kidneys, and the immune system through diverse mechanisms, including autophagy induction. We also suggest that formulation changes for cordycepin could enhance its bioactivity and bioavailability and lower its toxicity for future applications. A comprehensive understanding of the autophagy mechanism would provide novel mechanistic insight into the anti-cancer and health-promoting effects of cordycepin.

Promising Anti-cancer Therapeutics From Mushrooms: Current Findings and Future Perceptions

BACKGROUND

Nowadays, medicines derived from natural sources have drawn much attention as potential therapeutic agents in the suppression and treatment of cancer because of their low toxicity and fewer side effects.

OBJECTIVE

The present review aims to assess the currently available knowledge on the ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological activities of bioactive compounds obtained from medicinal mushrooms towards cancer treatment.

METHODS

A literature search has been conducted for the collection of research papers from universally accepted scientific databases. These research papers and published book chapters were scrutinized to retrieve information on ethnomedicinal uses of mushrooms, different factors involved in cancer cell proliferation, clinical and in silico pharmaceutical studies made for possible treatments of cancer using mushroom derived compounds. Overall, 241 articles were retrieved and reviewed from the year 1970 to 2020, out of which 98 relevant articles were finally considered for the preparation of this review.

RESULTS

This review presents an update on the natural bioactive substances derived from medicinal mushrooms and their role in inhibiting the factors responsible for cancer cell proliferation. Along with it, the present review also provides information on the ethnomedicinal uses, solvents used for extraction of anti-cancer metabolites, clinical trials, and in silico studies that were undertaken towards anticancer drug development from medicinal mushrooms.

CONCLUSION

The present review provides extensive knowledge on various anti-cancer substances obtained from medicinal mushrooms, their biological actions, and in silico drug designing approaches, which could form a basis for the development of natural anti-cancer therapeutics.

Radical Dehalogenation and Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase E. coli: How Does an Admixture of 2',3'-Anhydroinosine Hinder 2-fluoro-cordycepin Synthesis

During the preparative synthesis of 2-fluorocordycepin from 2-fluoroadenosine and 3′-deoxyinosine catalyzed by E. coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase, a slowdown of the reaction and decrease of yield down to 5% were encountered. An unknown nucleoside was found in the reaction mixture and its structure was established. This nucleoside is formed from the admixture of 2′,3′-anhydroinosine, a byproduct in the preparation of 3-′deoxyinosine. Moreover, 2′,3′-anhydroinosine forms during radical dehalogenation of 9-(2′,5′-di-O-acetyl-3′-bromo- -3′-deoxyxylofuranosyl)hypoxanthine, a precursor of 3′-deoxyinosine in chemical synthesis. The products of 2′,3′-anhydroinosine hydrolysis inhibit the formation of 1-phospho-3-deoxyribose during the synthesis of 2-fluorocordycepin. The progress of 2′,3′-anhydroinosine hydrolysis was investigated. The reactions were performed in D₂O instead of H₂O; this allowed accumulating intermediate substances in sufficient quantities. Two intermediates were isolated and their structures were confirmed by mass and NMR spectroscopy. A mechanism of 2′,3′-anhydroinosine hydrolysis in D₂O is fully determined for the first time.

Arsenic Content, Speciation, and Distribution in Wild Cordyceps sinensis

The excessive arsenic content in wild Cordyceps sinensis has caused great concerns on human health. The toxicity of arsenic depends on its concentration, chemical form, and valence. The source studies of arsenic in C. sinensis are essential for safety evolution and quality control. We used ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS methods to determine the total arsenic amount and the arsenic speciation. Synchrotron-based XANES and micro-XRF imaging techniques were used to characterize arsenic valence and distribution. The total arsenic amount range in wild C. sinensis samples was 5.77–13.20 μg/g with an average of 8.85 ± 2.5 μg/g. As(III) and As(V) were the main species in wild C. sinensis samples. The iAs only accounts for 4.47–11.42% of the extracted arsenic. Trivalent and pentavalent forms were the dominant chemical forms of arsenic. Besides, we found that arsenic was accumulated at the digestive tract of the host larva.

In silico and in vitro design of cordycepin encapsulation in liposomes for colon cancer treatment

Cordycepin or 3'-deoxyadenosine is an interesting anti-cancer drug candidate that is found in abundance in the fungus Cordyceps militaris. It inhibits cellular growth of many cancers including lung carcinoma, melanoma, bladder cancer, and colon cancer by inducing apoptosis, anti-proliferation, anti-metastasis and by arresting the cell cycle. Cordycepin has, however, poor stability and low solubility in water, resulting in loss of its bioactivity. Liposomes can be used to overcome these obstacles. Our aim is to improve cordycepin's anti-colon cancer activity by liposome encapsulation. Cordycepin-encapsulated liposomes were designed and fabricated based on a combination of theoretical and experimental studies. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and free energy calculations suggest that phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipid environment is favorable for cordycepin adsorption. Cordycepin passively permeates into PC lipid bilayers without membrane damage and strongly binds to the lipids' polar groups by flipping its deoxyribose sugar toward the bilayer center. Our fabricated liposomes containing 10 : 1 molar ratio of egg yolk PC : cholesterol showed encapsulation efficiency (%EE) of 99% using microfluidic hydrodynamic focusing (MHF) methods. In our in vitro study using the HT-29 colon cancer cell line, cordycepin was able to inhibit growth by induction of apoptosis. Cell viability was significantly decreased below 50% at 125 μg mL-1 dosage after 48 h treatment with non-encapsulated and encapsulated cordycepin. Importantly, encapsulation provided (1) a 2-fold improvement in the inhibition of cancer cell growth at 125 μg mL-1 dosage and (2) 4-fold increase in release time. These in silico and in vitro studies indicate that cordycepin-encapsulated liposomes could be a potent drug candidate for colon cancer therapy.

Cordyceps spp.: A Review on Its Immune-Stimulatory and Other Biological Potentials

In recent decades, interest in the Cordyceps genus has amplified due to its immunostimulatory potential. Cordyceps species, its extracts, and bioactive constituents have been related with cytokine production such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, phagocytosis stimulation of immune cells, nitric oxide production by increasing inducible nitric oxide synthase activity, and stimulation of inflammatory response via mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Other pharmacological activities like antioxidant, anti-cancer, antihyperlipidemic, anti-diabetic, anti-fatigue, anti-aging, hypocholesterolemic, hypotensive, vasorelaxation, anti-depressant, aphrodisiac, and kidney protection, has been reported in pre-clinical studies. These biological activities are correlated with the bioactive compounds present in Cordyceps including nucleosides, sterols, flavonoids, cyclic peptides, phenolic, bioxanthracenes, polyketides, and alkaloids, being the cyclic peptides compounds the most studied. An organized review of the existing literature was executed by surveying several databanks like PubMed, Scopus, etc. using keywords like Cordyceps, cordycepin, immune system, immunostimulation, immunomodulatory, pharmacology, anti-cancer, anti-viral, clinical trials, ethnomedicine, pharmacology, phytochemical analysis, and different species names. This review collects and analyzes state-of-the-art about the properties of Cordyceps species along with ethnopharmacological properties, application in food, chemical compounds, extraction of bioactive compounds, and various pharmacological properties with a special focus on the stimulatory properties of immunity.

Anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of natural cordycepin in rotenone-induced PD models through inhibiting Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission

Accumulating evidences suggest that inflammation-mediated neurons dysfunction participates in the initial and development of Parkinson's disease (PD), whereas mitochondria have been recently recognized as crucial regulators in NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Cordycepin, a major component of cordyceps militaris, has been shown to possess neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory activity. However, the effects of cordycepin in rotenone-induced PD models and the possible mechanisms are still not fully understood. Here, we observed that motor dysfunction and dopaminergic neurons loss induced by rotenone exposure were ameliorated by cordycepin. Cordycepin also reversed Drp1-mediated aberrant mitochondrial fragmentation through increasing AMPK phosphorylation and maintained normal mitochondrial morphology. Additionally, cordycepin effectively increased adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) content, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and reduced mitochondrial ROS levels, as well as inhibited complex 1 activity. More importantly, cordycepin administration inhibited the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome components and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokine in rotenone-induced rats and cultured neuronal PC12 cells. Moreover, we demonstrated that the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome within neurons could be suppressed by the mitochondrial division inhibitor (Mdivi-1). Collectively, the present study provides evidence that cordycepin exerts neuroprotective effects partially through preventing neural NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by Drp1-dependent mitochondrial fragmentation in rotenone-injected PD models.

Cordycepin attenuates high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease via down-regulation of lipid metabolism and inflammatory responses

Cordycepin (CRD), an adenosine analog derived from traditional Chinese medicine, is an active component in Cordyceps militaris. It has been shown to have many protective effects during liver injury and ameliorate liver disease progression, but little is known about its effect on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study aims to explore the effects of CRD on obesity-induced NAFLD. In this experiment, C57BL/6 J mice were randomly assigned into normal control group (NC), high fat diet group (HFD) and HFD + CRD group for 8 weeks. The body weights were recorded weekly, at the end of the experiments, the liver and serum samples were collected. We found that CRD administration reduced body weight and decreased the weight of adipose and liver, and CRD relieved liver injure through diminishing of histopathological changes and decreasing serum levels of AST, ALT, TG, TC, LDL-C and increased the level of HDL-C. Furthermore, treatment with CRD significantly alleviated expression of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6 and Il-1β) and macrophage markers (MCP1, MIP2, mKC and VCAM1). On the other hand, compared with HFD group, the CRD treated group markedly down-regulated relative proteins of lipid anabolism (SREBP1-c, ACC, SCD-1, LXRα and CD36) and up-regulated relative proteins of β-oxidation (p-AMPK, AMPK, CPT-1 and PPARα). In summary, our results suggest that CRD can be a potential therapeutic agent in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD, which may be closely related to its effect on lipid metabolism and inflammatory responses.

Activity of Cordycepin From Cordyceps sinensis Against Drug-Resistant Tumor Cells as Determined by Gene Expression and Drug Sensitivity Profiling

Cordycepin is one of the substantial components of the parasitic fungus Cordyceps sinensis as well as other Cordyceps species. It exerts various effects such as antimetastatic, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective activities. Assorted studies revealed in vitro and in vivo anticancer influence of cordycepin and put forward its potential for cancer therapy. However, the role of multidrug resistance-associated mechanisms for the antitumor effect of cordycepin has not been investigated in great detail thus far. Therefore, we searched cordycepin’s cytotoxicity with regard to well-known anticancer drug resistance mechanisms, including ABCB1, ABCB5, ABCC1, ABCG2, EGFR, and TP53, and identified putative molecular determinants related to the cellular responsiveness of cordycepin. Bioinformatic analyses of NCI microarray data and gene promoter transcription factor binding motif analyses were performed to specify the mechanisms of cordycepin towards cancer cells. COMPARE and hierarchical analyses led to the detection of the genes involved in cordycepin’s cytotoxicity and sensitivity and resistance of cell lines towards cordycepin. Tumor-type dependent response and cross-resistance profiles were further unravelled. We found transcription factors potentially involved in the common transcriptional regulation of the genes identified by COMPARE analyses. Cordycepin bypassed resistance mediated by the expression of ATP-binding cassete (ABC) transporters (P-gp, ABCB5, ABCC1 and BCRP) and mutant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The drug sensitivity profiles of several DNA Topo I and II inhibitors were significantly correlated with those of cordycepin’s activity. Among eight different tumor types, prostate cancer was the most sensitive, whereas renal carcinoma was the most resistant to cordycepin. NF-κB was discovered as a common transcription factor. The potential of cordycepin is set forth as a potential new drug lead by bioinformatic evaluations. Further experimental studies are warranted for better understanding of cordycepin’s activity against cancer.

Unlocking the Mystery of the Therapeutic Effects of Chinese Medicine on Cancer

Over the past decade, the rise of cancer immunotherapy has coincided with a remarkable breakthrough in cancer therapy, which attracted increased interests in public. The scientific community clearly showed that the emergence of immunotherapy is an inevitable outcome of a holistic approach for cancer treatment. It is well established that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) utilizes the principle of homeostasis and balance to adjust the healthy status of body. TCM treatment toward cancer has a long history, and the diagnosis and treatment of tumors were discussed in the ancient and classical literatures of Chinese medicine, such as the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon. Precious heritage has laid the foundation for the innovation and development of cancer treatment with TCM. The modern study indicated that TCM facilitates the treatment of cancer and enhances the survival rate and life expectancy of patients. However, the pharmacological mechanisms underlying these effects are not yet completely understood. In addition, physicians cannot always explain why the TCM treatment is effective and the mechanism of action cannot be explained in scientific terms. Here, we attempted to provide insights into the development of TCM in the treatment and interpret how TCM practitioners treat cancer through six general principles of TCM by using modern scientific language and terms based on newly discovered evidence.

Protective effect of cordycepin on experimental renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

AIM

To date, various molecules have been investigated to reduce the effect of renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, none have yet led to clinical use. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effect of cordycepin (C) on renal I/R injury in an experimental rat model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-four mature Sprague Dawley female rat was randomly divided into three groups: Sham, I/R, I/R+C. All animals underwent abdominal exploration. To induce I/R injury, an atraumatic vascular bulldog clamp was applied to the right renal pedicle for 60 minutes (ischemia) and later clamp was removed to allow reperfusion in all rats, except for the sham group. In the I/R + C group, 10 mg/kg C was administered intraperitoneally, immediately after reperfusion. After 4 hours of reperfusion, the experiment was terminated with right nephrectomy. Histological studies and biochemical analyses were performed on the right nephrectomy specimens. EGTI (endothelial, glomerular, tubulointerstitial) histopathology scoring and semi-quantitative analysis of renal cortical necrosis were used for histological analyses and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant status (TOS) for biochemical analyses.

RESULTS

Histopathological examination of the tissue damage revealed that all kidneys in the sham group were normal. The I/R group had higher histopathological scores than the I/R + C group. In the biochemical analysis of the tissues, SOD, MDA, TOS values were found to be statistically different in the I/R group compared to the I/R + C group (p: 0.004, 0.004, 0.001 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Intraperitoneal cordycepin injection following ischemia preserve renal tissue against oxidative stress in a rat model of renal I/R injury.

Application of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis Technology to Total Nucleosides Quality Control in the Fermented Cordyceps Powder Production Process

Product quality control is a prerequisite for ensuring safety, effectiveness, and stability. However, because of the different strain species and fermentation processes, there was a significant difference in quality. As a result, they should be clearly distinguished in clinical use. Among them, the fermentation process is critical to achieving consistent product quality. This study aims to introduce near-infrared spectroscopy analysis technology into the production process of fermented Cordyceps powder, including strain culture, strain passage, strain fermentation, strain filtration, strain drying, strain pulverizing, and strain mixing. First, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure the total nucleosides content in the production process of 30 batches of fermented Cordyceps powder, including uracil, uridine, adenine, guanosine, adenosine, and the process stability and interbatch consistency were analyzed with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) fingerprinting, followed by the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with partial least squares regression (PLSR) to establish a quantitative analysis model of total nucleosides for online process monitoring of fermented Cordyceps powder preparation products. The model parameters indicate that the established model with good robustness and high measurement precision. It further clarifies that the model can be used for online process monitoring of fermented Cordyceps powder preparation products.

Anti-Cancer Effect of Cordycepin on FGF9-Induced Testicular Tumorigenesis

Cordycepin, a bioactive constituent from the fungus Cordyceps sinensis, could inhibit cancer cell proliferation and promote cell death via induction of cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagy. Our novel finding from microarray analysis of cordycepin-treated MA-10 mouse Leydig tumor cells is that cordycepin down-regulated the mRNA levels of FGF9, FGF18, FGFR2 and FGFR3 genes in MA-10 cells. Meanwhile, the IPA-MAP pathway prediction result showed that cordycepin inhibited MA-10 cell proliferation by suppressing FGFs/FGFRs pathways. The in vitro study further revealed that cordycepin decreased FGF9-induced MA-10 cell proliferation by inhibiting the expressions of p-ERK1/2, p-Rb and E2F1, and subsequently reducing the expressions of cyclins and CDKs. In addition, a mouse allograft model was performed by intratumoral injection of FGF9 and/or intraperitoneal injection of cordycepin to MA-10-tumor bearing C57BL/6J mice. Results showed that FGF9-induced tumor growth in cordycepin-treated mice was significantly smaller than that in a PBS-treated control group. Furthermore, cordycepin decreased FGF9-induced FGFR1-4 protein expressions in vitro and in vivo. In summary, cordycepin inhibited FGF9-induced testicular tumor growth by suppressing the ERK1/2, Rb/E2F1, cell cycle pathways, and the expressions of FGFR1-4 proteins, suggesting that cordycepin can be used as a novel anticancer drug for testicular cancers.

Anti-inflammatory effects of cordycepin: A review

Cordycepin is the major bioactive component extracted from Cordyceps militaris. In recent years, cordycepin has received increasing attention owing to its multiple pharmacological activities. This study reviews recent researches on the anti-inflammatory effects and the related activities of cordycepin. The results from our review indicate that cordycepin exerts protective effects against inflammatory injury for many diseases including acute lung injury (ALI), asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson's disease (PD), hepatitis, atherosclerosis, and atopic dermatitis. Cordycepin regulates the NF-κB, RIP2/Caspase-1, Akt/GSK-3β/p70S6K, TGF-β/Smads, and Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathways among others. Several studies focusing on cordycepin derivatives were reviewed and found to down metabolic velocity of cordycepin and increase its bioavailability. Moreover, cordycepin enhanced immunity, inhibited the proliferation of viral RNA, and suppressed cytokine storms, thereby suggesting its potential to treat COVID-19 and other viral infections. From the collected and reviewed information, this article provides the theoretical basis for the clinical applications of cordycepin and discusses the path for future studies focusing on expanding the medicinal use of cordycepin. Taken together, cordycepin and its analogs show great potential as the next new class of anti-inflammatory agents.

Cordycepin Exerts Neuroprotective Effects via an Anti-Apoptotic Mechanism based on the Mitochondrial Pathway in a Rotenone-Induced Parkinsonism Rat Model

BACKGROUND

Cordycepin (Cor), one of the major bioactive components of the traditional Chinese medicine Cordyceps militaris, has been used in clinical practice for several years. However, its neuroprotective effect remains unknown.

AIMS

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of Cor using a rotenoneinduced Parkinson's Disease (PD) rat model and to delineate the possible associated molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

In vivo, behavioural tests were performed based on the 10-point scale and grid tests. Levels of dopamine and its metabolites in the striatum and the numbers of TH-positive neurons in the Substantia Nigra pars compacta (SNpc) were investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection and immunohistochemical staining, respectively. In vitro, cell apoptosis rates and Mitochondrial Membrane Potential (MMP) were analysed by flow cytometry and the mRNA and protein levels of Bax, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Cytochrome c (Cyt-c), and caspase-3 were determined by quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting.

RESULTS

Showed that Cor significantly improved dyskinesia, increased the numbers of TH-positive neurons in the SNpc, and maintained levels of dopamine and its metabolites in the striatum in rotenone- induced PD rats. We also found that apoptosis was suppressed and the loss of MMP was reversed with Cor treatment. Furthermore, Cor markedly down-regulated the expression of Bax, upregulated Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, inhibited the activation of caspase-3, and decreased the release of Cyt-c from the mitochondria to the cytoplasm, as compared to those in the rotenone-treated group.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, Cor protected dopamine neurons against rotenone-induced apoptosis by improving mitochondrial dysfunction in a PD model, demonstrating its therapeutic potential for this disease.

Transcriptome and proteome analyses reveal the regulatory networks and metabolite biosynthesis pathways during the development of Tolypocladium guangdongense

Tolypocladium guangdongense has a similar metabolite profile to Ophiocordyceps sinensis, a highly regarded fungus used for traditional Chinese medicine with high nutritional and medicinal value. Although the genome sequence of T. guangdongense has been reported, relatively little is known about the regulatory networks for fruiting body development and about the metabolite biosynthesis pathways. In order to address this, an analysis of transcriptome and proteome at differential developmental stages of T. guangdongense was performed. In total, 9076 genes were found to be expressed and 2040 proteins were identified. There were a large number of genes that were significantly differentially expressed between the mycelial stage and the stages. Interestingly, the correlation between the transcriptomic and proteomic data was low, suggesting the importance of the post-transcriptional processes in the growth and development of T. guangdongense. Among the genes/proteins that were both differentially expressed during the developmental process, there were numerous heat shock proteins and transcription factors. In addition, there were numerous proteins involved in terpenoid, ergosterol, adenosine and polysaccharide biosynthesis that also showed significant downregulation in their expression levels during the developmental process. Furthermore, both tryptophan and tryptamine were present at higher levels in the primordium stage. However, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels continuously decreased as development proceeded, and the enzymes involved in IAA biosynthesis were also clearly differentially downregulated. These data could be meaningful in studying the molecular mechanisms of fungal development, and for the industrial and medicinal application of macro-fungi.

HPLC determination of massoia lactone in fermented Cordyceps sinensis mycelium Cs-4 and its anticancer activity in vitro

The fermentation product of Cordyceps sinensis mycelium Cs-4 was commonly used as alternative substitutes of natural C. sinensis. Massoia lactone is the dominant component in the volatile oil of Cs-4 mycelium. In this research, we present a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the quantitation of massoia lactone in Cs-4 mycelium. The high and stable contents of massoia lactone with values of 2.98-3.77 mg/g, indicated that massoia lactone could be considered as a marker for the quality assessment of this product. The results of MTT and CCK-8 assay showed that Cs-4 mycelium volatiles exhibited cytotoxicity against eight malignant tumor cells (IC₅₀  = 6.0-49.8 μg/ml) in comparison to the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (IC₅₀  = 17.0-425.3 μg/ml), and massoia lactone might be the chemical basis for the anticancer effects of Cs-4 mycelium. Compared to the commercial drugs paclitaxel and docetaxel (IC₅₀  = 253-1973 μg/ml), the Cs-4 mycelium volatiles and massoia lactone were discovered to possess inhibitory to taxol-resistant cell lines (IC₅₀  = 1.5-8.6 μg/ml). PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Considering that there is still a lack of marker components distinctive to Cs-4 mycelium, the HPLC method represents a useful tool for the quality evaluation of Cs-4 mycelium. Moreover, the volatile oil of Cs-4 mycelium and massoia lactone have prominent anticancer property in vitro. It gives a clue that Cs-4 mycelium, the volatile oil and massoia lactone could be potentially employed in the food and medical industries for its anticancer applications.

Traditional Tibetan Medicine in Cancer Therapy by Targeting Apoptosis Pathways

Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world. Apoptosis, one of the pathways of programmed cell death, is a promising target for cancer therapy. Traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) has been used by Tibetan people for thousands of years, and many TTMs have been proven to be effective in the treatment of cancer. This paper summarized the medicinal plants with anticancer activity in the Tibetan traditional system of medicine by searching for Tibetan medicine monographs and drug standards and reviewing modern research literatures. Forty species were found to be effective in treating cancer. More importantly, some TTMs (e.g., Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Phyllanthus emblica L. and Rhodiola kirilowii (Regel) Maxim.) and their active ingredients (e.g., cordycepin, salidroside, and gallic acid) have been reported to possess anticancer activity by targeting some apoptosis pathways in cancer, such as Bcl-2/Bax, caspases, PI3K/Akt, JAK2/STAT3, MAPK, and AMPK. These herbs and natural compounds would be potential drug candidates for the treatment of cancer.

Cordycepin Nanoencapsulated in Poly(Lactic-Co-Glycolic Acid) Exhibits Better Cytotoxicity and Lower Hemotoxicity Than Free Drug

Purpose

Cordycepin, a natural product isolated from the fungus Cordyceps militaris, is a potential candidate for breast cancer therapy. However, due to its structural similarity with adenosine, cordycepin is rapidly metabolized into an inactive form in the body, hindering its development as a therapeutic agent. In the present study, we have prepared cordycepin as nanoparticles in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and compared their cellular uptake, cytotoxicity and hemolytic potential with free cordycepin.

Materials and Methods

Cordycepin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (CPNPs) were prepared by the double-emulsion solvent evaporation method. Physico-chemical characterization of the nanoparticles was done by zetasizer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analyses. Cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of CPNPs and free drug were tested in human breast cancer cells (MCF7). Hemolytic potential of both of these forms was evaluated in rat red blood cells (RBCs).

Results

Physico-chemical characterization revealed that CPNPs were spherical in shape, possessed a size range of 179–246 nm, and released the encapsulated drug sustainably over a period of 10 days. CPNPs exhibited a high level of cellular uptake and cytotoxicity than the free drug in MCF-7 cells. While CPNPs were not toxic to rat RBCs even at high concentrations, free cordycepin induced hemolysis of these cells at relatively low concentration.

Conclusion

Our results reveal that delivery as CPNPs could enhance the clinical efficacy of cordycepin substantially.

Ailanthone: A novel potential drug for treating human cancer

Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease. In 2015, >8.7 million people died worldwide due to cancer, and by 2030 this figure is expected to increase to ~13.1 million. Tumor chemotherapy drugs have specific toxicity and side effects, and patients can also develop secondary drug resistance. To prevent and treat cancer, scientists have developed novel drugs with improved antitumor effects and decreased toxicity. Ailanthone (AIL) is a quassinoid extract from the traditional Chinese medicine plant Ailanthus altissima, which is known to have anti-inflammatory and antimalarial effects. An increasing number of studies have focused on AIL due to its antitumor activity. AIL can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by up- or downregulating cancer-associated molecules, which ultimately leads to cancer cell death. Antitumor effects of AIL have been observed in melanoma, acute myeloid leukemia, bladder, lung, breast, gastric and prostate cancer and vestibular neurilemmoma. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first review to describe the antitumor mechanisms of AIL.