Abstract
Natural Cordyceps sinensis, which is a valuable anti-tumor, immunomodulatory, and antiviral agent in Asia, has been overexploited in recent years. Therefore, it is important for cultivated C. sinensis to be recognized in the market. In this research, the main components of entirely cultivated, naturally grown C. sinensis, and stiff worms across different sampling years were detected and compared by HPLC-MS and UV spectrometry. The results indicated that the mean levels of adenosine and cordycepin were significantly higher, whereas the mean levels of mannitol and polysaccharides were remarkably lower in the cultivated type than in the natural type. No distinct difference in the average soluble protein content was observed. The composition of the stiff worms was similar to that of the natural herb, except that the total soluble protein content was higher, and that of mannitol was lower. In addition, the ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy of the three types showed high similarity at 260 nm. This research indicates that the main nutritional composition of cultivated and natural C. sinensis is identical and that cultivated type can be used as an effective substitute.
Highlights
Cordyceps sinensis (Berkeley) Sacc. is a unique entomopathogenic fungus and valuable Chinese medicine resource that has been employed for treating various human conditions, including autoimmune disease, cancer, chronic inflammation, fatigue, and type II diabetes [1,2,3]
The High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-MS results showed that adenosine, mannitol, and cordycepin could be detected in cultivated C. sinensis
Our results are in some respects similar to those in previous studies comparing the constituents in the cultivated, natural C. sinensis and related species [20, 23], but in the present study, the representative composition has been comprehensively compared by employing the artificially breeding C. sinensis across different years that has the same appearance of the natural type instead of fermentation extract or mycelia (Fig 1)
Summary
Cordyceps sinensis (Berkeley) Sacc. is a unique entomopathogenic fungus and valuable Chinese medicine resource that has been employed for treating various human conditions, including autoimmune disease, cancer, chronic inflammation, fatigue, and type II diabetes [1,2,3]. The fungus, mostly Hirsutella sinensis [4], parasitizes the ghost moth larvae (Hepialus armoricanus Obertheir, belonging to the order of Lepidoptera), and proliferates until the larva is converted into fungal hyphae; in summer, the stroma grows out of the dead caterpillar, leaving the exoskeleton intact (the fruiting body) [5]. This characteristic Chinese medicine is referred as ‘winter worm summer grass’ (Dong Chong Xia Cao in Chinese). Natural C. sinensis, whose availability is limited due to its extreme host range specificity and confined
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