Identification of cordycepin biosynthesis-related genes through de novo transcriptome assembly and analysis in Cordyceps cicadae

Cordyceps cicadae (Chanhua) is a parasitic fungus that grows on Cicada flammata larvae and is used to relieve exhaustion and treat numerous diseases, in part through its active constituent, cordycepin. We used de novo Illumina HiSeq 4000 sequencing to obtain transcriptomes of C. cicadae mycelium, fruiting body, and sclerotium, and identify differentially expressed genes. In the mycelium versus sclerotium libraries, 1576 upregulated and 2300 downregulated genes were identified. In the mycelium versus fruiting body and fruiting body versus sclerotium body libraries, 1604 and 1474 upregulated and 1365 and 1320 downregulated genes, respectively, were identified. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses identified 19 genes differentially expressed in mycelium versus fruiting body as related to the purine pathway, along with 28 and 16 genes differentially expressed in the mycelium versus sclerotium and fruiting body versus sclerotium groups, respectively. Gene expression of six key enzymes was validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Specifically, 5'-nucleotidase (c62060g1) and adenosine deaminase (c35629g1) in purine nucleotide metabolism, which are involved in cordycepin biosynthesis, were significantly upregulated in the sclerotium group. These findings improved our understanding of genes involved in the biosynthesis of cordycepin and other characteristic secondary metabolites in C. cicadae.

Development of Cordycepin Formulations for Preclinical and Clinical Studies

There is extensive literature on in vivo studies with cordycepin, but these studies were generally conducted without validation of the various formulations, especially in terms of the solubility of cordycepin in the dosing vehicles used. Cordycepin is a promising drug candidate in multiple therapeutic areas, and there is a growing interest in studies aimed at assessing the pharmacological activity of this compound in relevant animal disease models. It is likely that many reported in vivo studies used formulations in which cordycepin was incompletely soluble. This can potentially confound the interpretation of pharmacokinetics and efficacy results. Furthermore, the presence of particles in intravenously administered suspension can cause adverse effects and should be avoided. Here, we present the results from our development of simple and readily applicable formulations of cordycepin based on quantitative solubility assessment. Homogeneous solutions of cordycepin were prepared in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at different pH levels, suitable as formulations for both intravenously and oral administration. For the purpose of high-dose oral administration, we also developed propylene glycol (PPG)-based vehicles in which cordycepin is completely soluble. The stability of the newly developed formulations was also assessed, as well as the feasibility of their sterilisation by filtration. Additionally, an HPLC-UV method for the determination of cordycepin in the formulations, which may also be useful for other purposes, was developed and validated. Our study could provide useful information for improvement of future preclinical and clinical studies involving cordycepin.

Cytotoxic Effect of Thymus caramanicus Jalas on Human Oral Epidermoid Carcinoma KB Cells

Abstract Identifying new chemotherapeutic agents with fewer side effects is a major concern for scientists today. Thymus caramanicus Jalas (Lamiaceae family) is one of the species of Thymus that grows wild in different regions of Iran. Traditionally, leaves of this plant are used in the treatment of diabetes, arthritis and cancer. Here was investigated the cytotoxic property of Thymus caramanicus essential oil and extract in human oral epidermoid carcinoma KB cells. Cell viability was measured by MTT and neutral red assays. The cells were exposed to different concentrations of essential oil (0.05-1 µL/mL) and extract (25-150 µg/mL) for 24 h. Doxorubicin was used as anticancer control drug. The data showed that the essential oil (IC50=0.44 µL/mL) and extract (IC50=105 µg/mL) induce potent cytotoxic property. Surprisingly, cytotoxic effects of essential oil and extract of this plant on KB cancer cells were greater than those on normal gingival HGF1-PI1 cell line. In addition, Thymus caramanicus could potentiate the effect of doxorubicin in sub-effective concentrations. The results of the present study indicate that essential oils and extracts of Thymus caramanicus have potential anti-proliferative property on KB cells and can be used as pharmaceutical case study for oral cancer treatments.

Preparative isolation of cordycepin, N(6)-(2-hydroxyethyl)-adenosine and adenosine from Cordyceps militaris by macroporous resin and purification by recycling high-speed counter-current chromatography

In this study, cordycepin, N(6)-(2-hydroxyethyl)-adenosine (HEA) and adenosine from the fruiting bodies of Cordyceps militaris were separated by using macroporous resin NKA-II adsorption. The parameters of static adsorption were tested and the optimized conditions were as follow: the total adsorption time was 12h, 50% ethanol was used for desorption and the desorption time was 9h. The crude sample that was prepared by macroporous resin NKA-II contained 3.4% cordycepin, 3.7% HEA and 4.9% adenosine. Then the crude sample was further purified by recycling high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) with ethyl acetate, n-butanol, 1.5% aqueous ammonium hydroxide (1:4:5, v/v/v) as the optimized two-phase solvent system. Three nucleosides including 15.6mg of cordycepin, 16.9mg of HEA and 23.2mg of adenosine were obtained from 500mg of crude sample in one-step separation. The purities of three compounds were 98.5, 98.3 and 98.0%, respectively, as determined by high performance liquid chromatography.

Pharmacological and therapeutic potential of Cordyceps with special reference to Cordycepin

An entomopathogenic fungus, Cordyceps sp. has been known to have numerous pharmacological and therapeutic implications, especially, in terms of human health making it a suitable candidate for ethno-pharmacological use. Main constituent of the extract derived from this fungus comprises a novel bio-metabolite called as Cordycepin (3′deoxyadenosine) which has a very potent anti-cancer, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The current review discusses about the broad spectrum potential of Cordycepin including biological and pharmacological actions in immunological, hepatic, renal, cardiovascular systems as well as an anti-cancer agent. The article also reviews the current efforts to delineate the mechanism of action of Cordycepin in various bio-molecular processes. The study will certainly draw the attention of scientific community to improve the bioactivity and production of Cordycepin for its commercial use in pharmacological and medical fields.

Elucidating the inhibitory mechanisms of the ethanolic extract of the fruiting body of the mushroom Antrodia cinnamomea on the proliferation and migration of murine leukemia WEHI-3 cells and their tumorigenicity in a BALB/c allograft tumor model

The aim of this study was to explore whether the ethanolic extract of Antrodia cinnamomea (EEAC), a medical mushroom form Taiwan, could affect the proliferation and migration of WEHI-3 cells in vitro and to explore the antitumor effects of EEAC in BALB/c mice engrafted with WEHI-3 cells. The results showed that EEAC inhibited the proliferation of WEHI-3 cells, resulting in the accumulation of cell in G0/G1 and G2/M phases, as determined by flow cytometry. Moreover, EEAC markedly reduced the migration of WEHI-3 cells, as determined by a transwell assay. Treatment of WEHI-3 cells with EEAC also decreased MMP-9 protein expression and enzyme activity. The protein levels of p-Akt, p-ERK1/2 were also decreased, whereas the expression of p21 and p27 was increased. Furthermore, in an in vivo model, EEAC treatment reduced the infiltration of WEHI-3 cells into the liver and spleens and decreased tumor growth. Other bioactive compounds, such as cordycepin and zhankuic acid A, have been demonstrated to reduce the expression of MMP-9, cyclin E, cyclin D1 and to increase the expression of p21, p27. This is the first study to investigate that the mechanisms by which EEAC reduce the proliferation and migration of WEHI-3 cells in vitro, as well as the ability of EEAC to reduced infiltration of WEHI-3 cells into the liver and spleen in vivo. The results suggest that EEAC may prove to be useful in future antileukemic therapies.