Abstract
Cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosine), a cytotoxic nucleoside analogue found in Cordyceps militaris, has attracted much attention due to its therapeutic potential and biological value. Cordycepin interacts with multiple medicinal targets associated with cancer, tumor, inflammation, oxidant, polyadenylation of mRNA, etc. The investigation of the medicinal drug actions supports the discovery of novel targets and the development of new drugs to enhance the therapeutic potency and reduce toxicity. Cordycepin may be of great value owing to its medicinal potential as an external drug, such as in cosmeceutical, traumatic, antalgic and muscle strain applications. In addition, the biological application of cordycepin, for example, as a ligand, has been used to uncover molecular structures. Notably, studies that investigated the metabolic mechanisms of cordycepin-producing fungi have yielded significant information related to the biosynthesis of high levels of cordycepin. Here, we summarized the medicinal targets, biological applications, cytotoxicity, delivery carriers, stability, and pros/cons of cordycepin in clinical applications, as well as described the metabolic mechanisms of cordycepin in cordycepin-producing fungi. We posit that new approaches, including single-cell analysis, have the potential to enhance medicinal potency and unravel all facets of metabolic mechanisms of cordycepin in Cordyceps militaris.
Highlights
Cancer, a major threat to public health, is an important cause of death
COR promotes the apoptosis of tumor cells through various pathways in vitro, for example, COR represses the transcription of MET in the multiple myeloma cell line MM.1S [58], activates the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated mitochondria pathway (ROS/caspase-8/caspase-3/poly adenosine-diphosphate-ribose polymerase (PARP)) and induces autophagy in the Leydig tumor cell line MA-10 in a dose-dependent manner [59] and stimulates p53 signaling (A2A R/p53/caspase-7/PARP) in the glioma cell line C6 [60]
Medicinal fungi produce a variety of bioactive metabolites which have medicinal potential for treating human diseases
Summary
A major threat to public health, is an important cause of death. Recently, the World Health. The medicinal potential of COR [26,27,28], the COR analogs in mushrooms [29] and the pharmacological effect of COR on male reproduction [30] have been extensively reviewed, little attention has been paid to the medicinal targets, cytotoxicity, delivery carriers, stability, and biological applications of COR, the metabolic mechanisms in COR-producing fungi, and the pros/cons of COR in clinical applications, and the clinical potential of the external use of COR These aspects are thought to be significant issues for the medicinal applications of COR. We discuss new approaches that will greatly contribute to uncovering the metabolic mechanisms of all facets of COR in C. militaris
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