Abstract
This study investigated the purification, preliminary structure and in vivo immunomodulatory activities of polysaccharides from the spores of Cordyceps cicadae (CCSP). The crude CCSP was purified by diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose and Sephadex G-100 chromatography, affording CCSP-1, CCSP-2 and CCSP-3 with molecular weights of 1.79 × 106, 5.74 × 104 and 7.93 × 103 Da, respectively. CCSP-2 consisted of mannose and glucose, while CCSP-1 and CCSP-3 are composed of three and four monosaccharides with different molar ratios, respectively. CCSP-2 exhibited its ameliorative effects in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice through significantly increasing spleen and thymus indices, enhancing macrophage phagocytic activity, stimulating splenocyte proliferation, improving natural killer (NK) cytotoxicity, improving bone marrow suppression, regulating the secretion of cytokines and immunoglobulins, and modulating antioxidant enzyme system. These results indicate that CCSP-2 might be exploited as a promising natural immunomodulator.
Highlights
An entomogenous fungus used as food and medicine, belongs to the Clavicipitaceae family of the order Hypocreales, which is formed by cicada nymphs infected with Isaria cicadae (Paecilomyces cicadae), and its morphological structure is composed of spores, sclerotium and coremium
In a follow-up study, it was demonstrated that JCH-1 could active RAW264.7 cells via toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mediated mitogenactivated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway [12]
Three polysaccharide fractions CCSP-1, CCSP-2 and CCSP-3 were isolated from spores of C. cicadae with molecular weights of 1.79 × 106, 5.74 × 104 and 7.93 × 103 Da, respectively
Summary
An entomogenous fungus used as food and medicine, belongs to the Clavicipitaceae family of the order Hypocreales, which is formed by cicada nymphs infected with Isaria cicadae (Paecilomyces cicadae), and its morphological structure is composed of spores, sclerotium and coremium (fruiting bodies). It is one of the earliest recorded and well-known traditional Chinese medicine for treating convulsions, asthma, measles, insomnia, chronic kidney diseases and heart palpitations [1]. A recent paper demonstrated that polysaccharides from the mycelium and coremium of C. cicadae exhibited hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects in diabetes rats [13]. Zhu et al [2] found that CP70, a polysaccharide from C. cicadae prepared by the final ethanol concentration of 40%, could extend the lifespan of Drosophila by up-regulating antioxidant enzyme gene expression, it demonstrates strong antioxidant and anti-aging activities
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