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Cordyceps

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Cordyceps
Cordyceps ophioglossoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Fungi
Subkingdom:
Dikarya
Phylum:
Ascomycota
Subphylum:
Pezizomycotina
Class:
Sordariomycetes
Subclass:
Hypocreomycetidae
Order:
Hypocreales
Family:
Clavicipitaceae
Genus:
Cordyceps
Species

C. bassiana (Bals.-Criv.)
C. gunnii
Cordyceps militaris

Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) that includes about 400 identified species and many yet to be described. All Cordyceps species are endoparasitoids, mainly on insects and other arthropods (they are thus entomopathogenic fungi); a few are parasitic on other fungi. Until recently the best known species of the genus was Cordyceps sinensis,[1] first recorded as yartsa gunbu in Tibet in the 15th century[2] and known as yarsha gumba in Nepalese and "caterpillar fungus" in English. In 2007 nuclear DNA sampling revealed that species to be unrelated to most of the rest of the genus' members; as a result it was renamed Ophiocordyceps sinensis and placed in a new family, the Ophiocordycipitaceae, which see.

The generic name Cordyceps is derived from the Latin words cord meaning "club" and ceps meaning "head". Several species of Cordyceps are considered as medicinal mushrooms in classical Asian pharmacologies such as that of traditional Chinese medicine[3][unreliable source?] and traditional Tibetan medicine.

When a Cordyceps fungus attacks a host, the mycelium invades and eventually replaces the host tissue, while the elongated fruiting body (ascocarp) may be cylindrical, branched, or of complex shape. The ascocarp bears many small, flask-shaped perithecia containing asci. These in turn contain thread-like ascospores, which usually break into fragments and are presumably infective.

Some current and formerCordyceps species are able to affect the behavior of their insect host: Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (foermerly Cordyceps unilateralis) causes ants to climb a plant and attach there before they die. This ensures the parasite's environment is at an optimal temperature and humidity, and that maximal distribution of the spores from the fruiting body that sprouts out of the dead insect is achieved.[4] Marks have been found on fossilised leaves which suggest this ability to modify the host's behaviour evolved more than 48 million years ago.[5]

The genus has a worldwide distribution and most of the approximately 400 species[6] have been described from Asia (notably Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand). Cordyceps species are particularly abundant and diverse in humid temperate and tropical forests.

The Claviceps family has many anamorphs (asexual states), of which Beauveria (possibly including Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium, and Isaria) are the better known, since these have been used in biological control of insect pests.

Some Cordyceps species are sources of biochemicals with interesting biological and pharmacological properties,[7] like cordycepin; the anamorph of Cordyceps subsessilis (Tolypocladium inflatum) was the source of ciclosporin—a drug helpful in human organ transplants, as it suppresses the immune system (Immunosuppressive drug).[8]

Potential pharmacology

Cordycepin, a compound isolated from the "Caterpillar fungus".

The Cordyceps mushrooms have a long history as medicinal fungi. The earliest clear record is a Tibetan medical text authored by Zurkhar Nyamnyi Dorje in the 15th Century outlining the tonic propensities of Yartsa gunbu (Cordyceps sinensis renamed now to Ophiocordyceps sinensis), especially as an aphrodisiac.[2] Although there are often-repeated claims of thousands of years of use in traditional Chinese medicine, so far no clear textual source has surfaced.

Although in vitro and animal models provide preliminary support for some of the traditional medicinal uses, there are no clinical studies demonstrating health benefits in humans.[9] Some polysaccharide components and cordycepin, which have some anticancer activity in preliminary in vitro and animal studies,[10] have been isolated from C. sinensis and C. militaris. Some work has been published in which Cordyceps sinensis has been used to protect the bone marrow and digestive systems of mice from whole body irradiation.[11] An experiment noted a chemical compound isolated from Cordyceps sinensis may protect the liver from damage.[12] An experiment with mice noted that Cordyceps sinensis may have an anti-depressant effect.[13] Researchers have noted that a polysaccharide isolated from Cordyceps sinensis has a hypoglycemic effect and may be beneficial for people with insulin resistance.[14][15][16][17][18]

Ma Junren case

Ma Junren, the coach of a group of female Chinese athletes who broke five world records in distance running in 1993 at the National Games in Beijing, China, told reporters that the runners were taking Cordyceps at his request.[19] The number of new world records being set at a single track event caused much attention and suspicion of drug use, and the records are still widely regarded as dubious, as the athletes failed to match these performances outside of China at independently drug tested events where illicit substances other than cordyceps would be detected.

Value

According to Daniel Winkler, the price of Cordyceps sinensis has risen dramatically on the Tibetan Plateau, basically 900% between 1998 and 2008, an annual average of over 20%. However, the value of big-sized caterpillar fungus has increased more dramatically than smaller size Cordyceps, regarded as lower quality.[20]

Year % Price increase Price/kg (Yuan)
1980s 1,800
1997 467% (incl. inflation) 8,400
2004 429% (incl. inflation) 36,000
2005 10,000–60,000
  • Cordyceps sinensis (caterpillar fungus), mostly whole dried choice specimens.
    Cordyceps sinensis (caterpillar fungus), mostly whole dried choice specimens.
  • Cordyceps beginning its growth from an insect.
    Cordyceps beginning its growth from an insect.
  • Cordyceps militaris
    Cordyceps militaris
  • Cordyceps militaris
    Cordyceps militaris
  • Cordyceps being weighed in at the market in China.
    Cordyceps being weighed in at the market in China.
  • Chinese soup of silkie, seahorse and cordyceps.
    Chinese soup of silkie, seahorse and cordyceps.

See also

References

  1. ^ Holliday, John (2008). "Medicinal Value of the Caterpillar Fungi Species of the Genus Cordyceps (Fr.) Link (Ascomycetes). A Review" (PDF). International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 10 (3). New York: Begell House: 219. doi:10.1615/IntJMedMushr.v10.i3.30. ISSN 1521-9437. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  2. ^ a b Winkler, D. 2008a. Yartsa Gunbu (Cordyceps sinensis) and the Fungal Commodification of the Rural Economy in Tibet AR. Economic Botany 63.2: 291–306
  3. ^ Halpern, Georges M. (2007). [[Healing Mushrooms]] (PDF). Square One Publishers. pp. 65–86. ISBN 978-0-7570-0196-3. {{cite book}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  4. ^ "Neurophilosophy: Brainwashed by a parasite". 2006-11-20. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  5. ^ Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0521, please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with |doi=10.1098/rsbl.2010.0521 instead.
  6. ^ Sung, Gi-Ho (2007). "Phylogenetic classification of Cordyceps and the clavicipitaceous fungi". Stud Mycol. 57 (1): 5–59. doi:10.3114/sim.2007.57.01. PMC 2104736. PMID 18490993. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Holliday, John (2004). "Analysis of Quality and Techniques for Hybridization of Medicinal Fungus Cordyceps sinensis (Berk.)Sacc. (Ascomycetes)" (PDF). International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 6 (2). New York: Begell House: 152. ISSN 1521-9437. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  8. ^ Holliday, John (2005). "Cordyceps" (PDF). In Coates, Paul M. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements. Vol. 1. Marcel Dekker. pp. 4 of Cordyceps Chapter. {{cite book}}: |format= requires |url= (help)
  9. ^ *Cordyceps information from Drugs.com.
  10. ^ Khan MA, Tania M, Zhang D, Chen H (2010). "Cordyceps Mushroom: A Potent Anticancer Nutraceutical" (PDF). The Open Nutraceuticals Journal. 3: 179–183. doi:10.2174/1876396001003010179. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Liu, Wei-Chung; Wang, Shu-Chi; Tsai, Min-Lung; Chen, Meng-Chi; Wang, Ya-Chen; Hong, Ji-Hong; McBride, William H.; Chiang, CS (2006-12). "Protection against Radiation-Induced Bone Marrow and Intestinal Injuries by Cordyceps sinensis, a Chinese Herbal Medicine". Radiation Research. 166 (6): 900–907. doi:10.1667/RR0670.1. PMID 17149981. {{cite journal}}: |first9= missing |last9= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Ko WS, Hsu SL, Chyau CC, Chen KC, Peng RY (2009). "Compound Cordyceps TCM-700C exhibits potent hepatoprotective capability in animal model". Fitoterapia. 81 (1): 1–7. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2009.06.018. PMID 19596425. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Nishizawa K; Torii K; Kawasaki A; et al. (2007). "Antidepressant-like effect of Cordyceps sinensis in the mouse tail suspension test". Biol. Pharm. Bull. 30 (9): 1758–1762. doi:10.1248/bpb.30.1758. PMID 17827735. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |author-separator= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Kiho T, Hui J, Yamane A, Ukai S (1993). "Polysaccharides in fungi. XXXII. Hypoglycemic activity and chemical properties of a polysaccharide from the cultural mycelium of Cordyceps sinensis". Biol. Pharm. Bull. 16 (12): 1291–1293. doi:10.1248/bpb.16.1291. PMID 8130781. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Kiho T, Yamane A, Hui J, Usui S, Ukai S (1996). "Polysaccharides in fungi. XXXVI. Hypoglycemic activity of a polysaccharide (CS-F30) from the cultural mycelium of Cordyceps sinensis and its effect on glucose metabolism in mouse liver". Biol. Pharm. Bull. 19 (2): 294–296. doi:10.1248/bpb.19.294. PMID 8850325. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Zhao CS; Yin WT; Wang JY; et al. (2002). "CordyMax Cs-4 improves glucose metabolism and increases insulin sensitivity in normal rats". J Altern Complement Med. 8 (3): 309–314. doi:10.1089/10755530260127998. PMID 12165188. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |author-separator= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  17. ^ Lo HC, Tu ST, Lin KC, Lin SC (2004). "The anti-hyperglycemic activity of the fruiting body of Cordyceps in diabetic rats induced by nicotinamide and streptozotocin". Life Sci. 74 (23): 2897–2908. doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2003.11.003. PMID 15050427. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Li SP; Zhang GH; Zeng Q; et al. (2006). "Hypoglycemic activity of polysaccharide, with antioxidation, isolated from cultured Cordyceps mycelia". Phytomedicine. 13 (6): 428–433. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2005.02.002. PMID 16716913. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |author-separator= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  19. ^ Mackay, Duncan (2001-07-24). "Ma's army on the march again". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
  20. ^ Winkler, Daniel (2008). "Yarsa Gunbu (Cordyceps sinensis) and the Fungal Commodification of the Rural Economy in Nepal". Economic Botany. 62 (3): 291–305. doi:10.1007/s12231-008-9038-3.

Further reading

  • Bensky, D.; Gamble, A.; Clavey, S.; Stoger, E.; Lai Bensky, L. (2004). Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica (3rd ed.). Seattle: Eastland Press. ISBN 0-939616-42-4.
  • Kobayasi, Y. (1941). "The genus Cordyceps and its allies". Science Reports of the Tokyo Bunrika Daigaku, Sect. B. 5: 53–260. ISSN 0371-3547.
  • Mains, E. B. (1957). "Species of Cordyceps parasitic on Elaphomyces". Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 84 (4): 243–251. doi:10.2307/2482671. ISSN 0040-9618. JSTOR 2482671.
  • Mains, E. B. (1958). "North American entomogenous species of Cordyceps". Mycologia. 50 (2): 169–222. doi:10.2307/3756193. ISSN 0027-5514. JSTOR 3756193.
  • Tzean, S. S.; Hsieh, L. S.; Wu, W. J. (1997). Atlas of entomopathogenic fungi from Taiwan. Taiwan: Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan.
  • Paterson, R. R. M. (2008). "Cordyceps - a traditional Chinese medicine and another fungal therapeutic biofactory?". Phytochemistry. 69 (7): 1469–1495. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2008.01.027. PMID 18343466.
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