Chinese scientists discovered anti-cancer benefits in the fungus Cordyceps used in traditional Chinese medicine

Almaty. October 23. Silkroadnews - Chinese scientists discovered anti-cancer benefits in the fungus Cordyceps used in traditional Chinese medicine, China Daily reported.
“Chinese scientists have found evidence that a fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine widely sought by the public for its healing powers, also carries anti-cancer benefits,” the report said.
It is noted that scientists have discovered an interaction between two anti-cancer compounds in the fungus Cordyceps militaris.
The first, Cordycepin, was discovered in Cordyceps militaris in 1950, but its interaction mechanism remained unknown. The second, pentostatin, was first identified from a bacterium and became the basis for the development of a commercial drug for treatment of leukemia and other cancers in the 1990s.
“For the first time, we decoded the biosynthesis mechanism of cordycepin in the fungus, and during the research we unexpectedly discovered pentostatin,”
"For the first time we deciphered the mechanism of biosynthesis of cordyceptin in the fungus, and during the study we unexpectedly discovered pentostatin. Cordycepin is synthesized with the coupled production of pentostatin to protect the stability of the former,” the agency quoted saying by Wang Chengshu, head of the research team at the Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, a branch of the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The research also showed that the fungus initiates a detoxification process when the cordycepin in the body reaches an excessively high level, which can be toxic, which reminded the researchers that the excessive intake of fungus may not be healthful.
Cordyceps militaris, bright orange-yellow mushrooms sold as fresh supplement for soups and stews, is a much more affordable alternative to caterpillar fungus.
“However, in the research, we’ve proved that neither of the compounds is produced in caterpillar fungus,” Wang said.
“Cordyceps fungi are popular in China for their widely believed immunity-enhancing and energy-strengthening properties. Their uses in medical treatment date to the Compendium of Materia Medica, a book widely deemed the encyclopedia of traditional Chinese medicine written in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644),” the publication reads.