phyto

Cordyceps

The fungus Cordyceps spp. belongs to Tibetan medicine and consumers describe it as an important source of energy. Cordyceps spp. belongs to Ascomycota, Pyrenomycetes, Hypocreales, and Clavicepitaceae, and at least 700 species are known. The word Cordyceps originates from the Greek term "kordyle", which means “club”, and the Latin etymon “ceps”, which means “head” (Olatunji et al., 2018). Cordyceps species invade insects, arthropods, other fungi, and evades the host immune system by harmonizing the life cycle of its host with the intention of survival and multiplication. Their interaction with the host will produce different secondary metabolites (Olatunji et al., 2018), such as cordycepin, adenosine, guanosine, cordymin, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), exopolysaccharides, cordysinin A-E, among others (Liu Y et al., 2015). The different species of Cordyceps have beneficial properties such as anti-cancer, anti-proliferative, anti-angiogenic, anti-metastasis, apoptosis induction, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-fibrotic, anti-arteriosclerosis, anti-hypertensive, anti-thrombotic, antimalarial, antifungal, hypolipidemic, antidiabetic, hypoglycemic, anti-asthmatic, steroidogenesis, spermatogenic, anti-aging, and immunomodulatory effects (Liu Y et al., 2015). These properties are concentration-dependent, and in most cases, no adverse effects were reported, although the evaluation of isolated compounds such as cordycepin is preferred. Interestingly, Cordyceps spp. contains different compounds with the ability to strengthen the response of the immune system and also to control its exacerbated response. Most of the information on the effect of Cordyceps on the immune system derives from studies in cancer. In particular, Cordyceps spp. increases the production of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, induces phagocytosis of macrophages, mononuclear cells, nitric oxide (NO) release, and stimulates the inflammatory response via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) route (Lee et al., 2006; Wang M et al., 2012). Furthermore, it presents synergism with interferon (INF)-γ in the production of cytokines. These properties are attractive in the search for new applications where the stimulation in the immune system response is wanted. Therefore, this review collects and analyzes the state-of-the-art about properties of Cordyceps spp. focused on the stimulatory properties of immunity.

Ref:
Das G, Shin HS, Leyva-Gómez G, Prado-Audelo MLD, Cortes H, Singh YD, Panda MK, Mishra AP, Nigam M, Saklani S, Chaturi PK, Martorell M, Cruz-Martins N, Sharma V, Garg N, Sharma R, Patra JK. Cordyceps spp.: A Review on Its Immune-Stimulatory and Other Biological Potentials. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Feb 8;11:602364. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2020.602364. PMID: 33628175; PMCID: PMC7898063.

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Added on Mar 24, 2024 by Barbara Van De Keer

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