Comparative study of the composition of cultivated, naturally grown Cordyceps sinensis, and stiff worms across different sampling years

Systematic analyses with genomic and metabolomic insights reveal a new species, Ophiocordyceps indica sp. nov. from treeline area of Indian Western Himalayan region

Ophiocordyceps is a species-rich genus in the order Hypocreales (Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota) depicting a fascinating relationship between microbes and insects. In the present study, a new species, Ophiocordyceps indica sp. nov., is discovered infecting lepidopteran larvae from tree line locations (2,202-2,653 m AMSL) of the Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, Indian Western Himalayan region, using combinations of morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses. A phylogeny for Ophiocordyceps based on a combined multigene (nrSSU, nrLSU, tef-1α, and RPB1) dataset is provided, and its taxonomic status within Ophiocordycipitaceae is briefly discussed. Its genome size (~59 Mb) revealed 94% genetic similarity with O. sinensis; however, it differs from other extant Ophiocordyceps species based on morphological characteristics, molecular phylogenetic relationships, and genetic distance. O. indica is identified as the second homothallic species in the family Ophiocordycipitaceae, after O. sinensis. The presence of targeted marker components, viz. nucleosides (2,303.25 μg/g), amino acids (6.15%), mannitol (10.13%), and biological activity data, suggests it to be a new potential source of nutraceutical importance. Data generated around this economically important species will expand our understanding regarding the diversity of Ophiocordyceps-like taxa from new locations, thus providing new research avenues.

Unravelling the potential of insects for medicinal purposes - A comprehensive review

Entomotherapy, the use of insects for medicinal purposes, has been practised for centuries in many countries around the world. More than 2100 edible insect species are eaten by humans, but little is known about the possibility of using these insects as a promising alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals for treating diseases. This review offers a fundamental understanding of the therapeutic applications of insects and how they might be used in medicine. In this review, 235 insect species from 15 orders are reported to be used as medicine. Hymenoptera contains the largest medicinal insect species, followed by Coleoptera, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, and Blattodea. Scientists have examined and validated the potential uses of insects along with their products and by-products in treating various diseases, and records show that they are primarily used to treat digestive and skin disorders. Insects are known to be rich sources of bioactive compounds, explaining their therapeutic features such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, and so on. Challenges associated with the consumption of insects (entomophagy) and their therapeutic uses include regulation barriers and consumer acceptance. Moreover, the overexploitation of medicinal insects in their natural habitat has led to a population crisis, thus necessitating the investigation and development of their mass-rearing procedure. Lastly, this review suggests potential directions for developing insects used in medicine and offers advice for scientists interested in entomotherapy. In future, entomotherapy may become a sustainable and cost-effective solution for treating various ailments and has the potential to revolutionize modern medicine.

Integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics reveal metabolites difference between wild and cultivated Ophiocordyceps sinensis

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a traditional medicinal fungus endemic to the alpine and high-altitude areas of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The scarcity of the wild resource has led to increased attention to artificially cultivated O. sinensis. However, little is known about the metabolic differences and the regulatory mechanisms between cultivated and wild O. sinensis. This study exploited untargeted metabolomics and transcriptomics to uncover the differences in accumulated metabolites and expressed genes between wild and cultivated O. sinensis. Metabolomics results revealed that 368 differentially accumulated metabolites were mainly enriched in biosynthesis of amino acids, biosynthesis of plant secondary metabolites and purine nucleotide metabolism. Cultivated O. sinensis contained more amino acids and derivatives, carbohydrates and derivatives, and phenolic acids than wild O. sinensis, whereas the contents of most nucleosides and nucleotides in wild O. sinensis were significantly higher than in cultivated O. sinensis. Transcriptome analysis indicated that 4430 annotated differentially expressed genes were identified between two types. Integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses suggested that IMPDH, AK, ADSS, guaA and GUK genes might be related to the synthesis of purine nucleotides and nucleosides. Our findings will provide a new insight into the molecular basis of metabolic variations of this medicinal fungus.

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.

A New Strain of Lecanicillium uredinophilum Isolated from Tibetan Plateau and Its Insecticidal Activity

A new strain QHLA of Lecanicillium uredinophilum was isolated from a Chinese caterpillar fungus complex and its optimum growth temperature and fermentation conditions were studied. Its insecticidal activity was tested against larvae of seven different insect pests, including Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata, Spodoptera exigua, Plutella xylostella, Spodoptera frugiperda, Sitobion avenae, Hyalopterus perikonus, and Aphis citricola. The optimum growth temperature was 21–24 °C. The highest spore production of the strain QHLA was 4.08 × 10⁶ spore/mL on solid medium with a nitrogen source of NH₄Cl. However, the highest mycelial growth rate of the strain QHLA was on solid medium with a nitrogen source from yeast extract (4.63 ± 0.03 mm/d). When the liquid medium contained peptone, yeast extract, and glucose, the water content of the mycelia was the lowest, while the spore production was the highest until day 12. When the liquid medium contained glucose, tussah pupa powder, KH₂PO₄, and MgSO₄, the mycelia production was highest until day 8. The bioassay for insecticidal activity indicated that the LC₅₀ values of QHLA were 6.32 × 10³ spore/mL and 6.35 × 10³ spore/mL against Sitobion avenae and Aphis citricola, respectively, while the LC₉₀ values of the strain QHLA against Aphis citricola and Sitobion avenae were 2.11 × 10⁷ spore/mL and 2.36 × 10⁸ spore/mL, respectively. Our results demonstrated that the strain QHLA was a high virulence pathogenic fungus against insect pests, with the potential to be developed as a microbial pesticide.

Cordyceps sinensis aqueous extract regulates the adaptive immunity of mice subjected to 60 Co γ irradiation

Cordyceps sinensis (CS) is a traditional Chinese medicine that is known for treating various diseases, and particularly for exerting therapeutic effects in immune disorders. The adaptive immunoregulatory effects of CS aqueous extract (CSAE) on γ-irradiated mice have not been reported previously. The study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of CSAE in mice immunosuppressed by irradiation. We observed that CSAE administration significantly increased body weight and spleen index, as well as the number of white blood cells, lymphocytes, and platelets in peripheral blood, T and B lymphocytes in spleen tissue, and total serum immunoglobulins in irradiated mice, whereas total serum pro-inflammatory cytokine levels were decreased. Collectively, CSAE maintained the structural integrity of spleen tissue and repaired its damage in irradiated mice as shown by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and decreased the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling-positive splenocytes. Mechanistically, CSAE upregulated Bcl-2, and downregulated Bax and cleaved caspase-3 in spleen of irradiated mice. However, there were no significant differences in red blood cells and neutrophils in different groups. The results revealed that CSAE had protective effects against irradiation-induced immunosuppression, which was likely associated with an antiapoptotic effect and the regulation of adaptive immunity.

Novel Fatty Acid in Cordyceps Suppresses Influenza A (H1N1) Virus-Induced Proinflammatory Response Through Regulating Innate Signaling Pathways

Influenza virus (IV) infections usually cause acute lung injury characterized by exaggerated proinflammatory responses. The paucity of therapeutic strategies that target host immune response to attenuate lung injury poses a substantial challenge in management of IV infections. In this study, we chemically synthesized a novel fatty acid (2Z,4E)-deca-2,4-dienoic acid (DDEA) identified from Chinese Cordyceps by using UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS techniques. The DDEA did not inhibit H1N1 virus replication but attenuated proinflammatory responses by reducing mRNA and protein levels of TNF-α, IFN-α, IFN-β, IL-6, CXCL-8/IL-8, CCL-2/MCP-1, CXCL-10/IP-10, CCL-3/MIP-1α, and CCL-4/MIP-1β in A549 cells and U937-derived macrophages. The anti-inflammatory effect occurred through downregulations of TLR-3-, RIG-I-, and type I IFN-activated innate immune signaling pathways. Altogether, our results indicate that DDEA may potentially be used as an anti-inflammatory therapy for the treatment of IV infections.

Enhanced production of cordycepin in Ophiocordyceps sinensis using growth supplements under submerged conditions

Cordycepin is a crucial bioactive compound produced by the fungus Cordyceps spp. Its therapeutic potential has been recognized for a wide range of biological properties such as anticancer, anti-diabetic, antidepressant, antioxidant, immunomodulation, etc. Moreover, its human random clinical trials depicted a promising anti-inflammatory activity that reduced the airway inflammation remarkably in asthmatic patients. But its overexploitation and low production of cordycepin in naturally growing biomass are insufficient to meet its existing market demand for its therapeutic use. Therefore, strategies for enhancement of cordycepin production in Cordyceps spp. are warranted. However, specifically, wild type Ophiocordyceps sinensis possesses a very low content of cordycepin and has restricted growth in natural mycelial biomass. To overcome these limitations, this study attempted to enhance cordycepin production in its mycelial biomass in vitro under submerged conditions by adding various growth supplements. The effect of these growth supplements was evaluated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) which demonstrated that among nucleosides- hypoxanthine and adenosine; amino acids-glycine and glutamine; plant hormones- 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 3-indoleacetic acid (IAA); vitamin-thiamine (B1) from each group of growth supplements yielded a higher amount of cordycepin with 466.48 ± 3.88, 380.23 ± 1.78, 434.97 ± 2.32, 269.78 ± 2.92, 227.61 ± 2.34, 226.02 ± 1.69 and 185.26 ± 2.35 mg/L respectively as compared to control with 13.66 ± 0.64 mg/L. Further, at the transcriptional level, quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of genes associated with metabolism and cordycepin biosynthesis depicted significant upregulation of major downstream genes- NT5E, RNR, purA, and ADEK which corroborated well with RP-HPLC analysis. Taken together, the present study identified growth supplements as potential precursors to activate the cordycepin biosynthesis pathway leading to improved cordycepin production in O. sinensis.