Yarsagumba is a Promising Therapeutic Option for Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension due to the Potent Anti-Proliferative and Vasorelaxant Properties

Cordyceps: Alleviating ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular injury - A comprehensive review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Cordyceps has a long medicinal history as a nourishing herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Ischemic cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs), including cerebral ischemic/reperfusion injury (CI/RI) and myocardial ischemic/reperfusion injury (MI/RI), are major contributors to mortality and disability in humans. Numerous studies have indicated that Cordyceps or its artificial substitutes have significant bioactivity on ischemic CCVDs, however, there is a lack of relevant reviews.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This review was conducted to investigate the chemical elements, pharmacological effects, clinical application and drug safety of Cordycepson ischemic CCVDs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive search was conducted on the Web of Science, PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang databases using the keywords "Cordyceps", "Cerebral ischemic/reperfusion injury", and "Myocardial ischemic/reperfusion injury" or their synonyms. The retrieved literature was then categorized and summarized.

RESULTS

The study findings indicated that Cordyceps and its bioactive components, including adenosine, cordycepin, mannitol, polysaccharide, and protein, have the potential to protect against CI/RI and MI/RI by improving blood perfusion, mitigating damage from reactive oxygen species, suppressing inflammation, preventing cellular apoptosis, and promoting tissue regeneration. Individually, Cordyceps could reduce neuronal excitatory toxicity and blood-brain barrier damage caused by cerebral ischemia. It can also significantly improve cardiac energy metabolism disorders and inhibit calcium overload caused by myocardial ischemia. Additionally, Cordyceps exerts a significant preventive or curative influence on the factors responsible for heart/brain ischemia, including hypertension, thrombosis, atherosclerosis, and arrhythmia.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates Cordyceps' prospective efficacy and safety in the prevention or treatment of CI/RI and MI/RI, providing novel insights for managing ischemic CCVDs.

Potential of the TRPM7 channel as a novel therapeutic target for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an intractable vascular disease characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance caused by pulmonary vascular remodeling, which ultimately leads to right-sided heart failure. PAH remains incurable, despite the development of PAH-targeted therapeutics centered on pulmonary artery relaxants. It is necessary to identify the target molecules that contribute to pulmonary artery remodeling. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels have been suggested to modulate pulmonary artery remodeling. Our study focused on the transient receptor potential ion channel subfamily M, member 7, or the TRPM7 channel, which modulates endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition and smooth muscle proliferation in the pulmonary artery. In this review, we summarize the role and expression profile of TRPM7 channels in PAH progression and discuss TRPM7 channels as possible therapeutic targets. In addition, we discuss the therapeutic effect of a Chinese herbal medicine, Ophiocordyceps sinensis (OCS), on PAH progression, which partly involves TRPM7 inhibition.