• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.262-271
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• 2005

Cordyceps, one of the most valued traditional Chinese medicines, consists of the dried fungus Cordyceps sinensis growing on the larva of caterpillar. It is also known as 'winter-worm and summer-grass' because of its appearance during different seasons. The parasitic complex of the fungus and the caterpillar is found in soil of a prairie at an elevation of 3,500 to 5,000 meters in northwestern part of China. According to Chinese medicinal theory, Cordyceps is used to replenish the kidney and soothe the lung, and indeed many clinical applications have been reported. The natural Cordyceps is rare and expensive on the local market, and therefore, several mycelial strains have been isolated from natural Cordyceps and manufactured in large quantities by fermentation technology, and they are commonly sold as health food products in Orient. The adulterants of Cordyceps are commonly found on the market, and therefore the authentication of these products has to be defined. Having the urgent need from current market, different chemical markers such as nucleoside, ergosterol, mannitol and polysaccharide are being used for quality control of Cordyceps. Unfortunately, these markers are far from optimization, and therefore extensive works are needed to define the pharmacological efficiency of these markers.

• Mycobiology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.121-131
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• 2001

This study was carried out to identify the phylogenetic relationships among several caterpillar fungi by comparing the sequences of internal transcribed spacer regions(ITS1 and ITS2) and 5.8S ribosomal DNA(rDNA) repeat unit. The sequences of ITS1, ITS2, and the 5.8S rDNA from 10 strains of Cordyceps species, 12 strains of Paecilomyces, 3 strains of Beauveria, 2 strains of Metarhizium and 1 strains of Hirsutella were amplified, determined and compared with the previously known Cordyceps species. The sequences of 5.8S rDNA were more conserved in length and variation than those of ITS regions. Although the variable ITS sequences were often ambiguously aligned, the conserved sites could be found. In the phylogenetic tree, the species generally divided into three clusters, supported by their morphology and/or host ranges. The 5.8S rDNA and TTS1 sequences among 10 species of Cordyceps militaris were identical and only one base pair in ITS2 sequence was different. Cordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps ophioglossoides were also clearly different, although they belonged to the same cluster. The Geniank database search of species revealed sister taxa of an entomogenous fungus. Metarhizium was used as an putgroup in all taxa.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.74-78
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• 2004

Paecilomyces tenuipes, a caterpillar fungus, contains many health-promoting ingredients. Recent reports indicate that consumption of P. tenuipes helps reducing blood sugar content for diabetes. Mechanism for reduction in the circulatory sugar content, however, still remains least understood. Methanolic extraction of P. tenuipes (MPT) was prepared and acetoxyscirpendiol (ASD) was subsequently purified limn MPT. Glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) was expressed in the Xenopus oocytes and the effect of MPT or ASD on the expressed GLUT-1 was analyzed according to the uptake of 2-dideoxy-D-glucose (2-DOG). MPT was shown to inhibit GLUT-1 activity significant1y compared to the non-treated control. In the presence of ASD and its derivatives, GLUT-1 activity was greatly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. Among ASD and its derivatives, AS-1 showed most significant inhibition. Taken together, these results strongly indicate that ASD in P. tenuipes may serve as a functional substance in lowering blood sugar in the circulatory system. ASD and its derivatives can be utilized as inhibitors of GLUT-1.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2006

Cordyceps, one of the well-known traditional Chinese medicines, consists of the dried fungus C. sinensis growing on the larva of caterpillar. It is commonly used as a tonic of restoring vital body functions. In order to evaluate the pharmacological effects of C. militaris, the anti-oxidation and antiaging effect of cultured C. militaris growing on pupa of silkworm Bombyx mori, were investigated. The results showed! that the contents of lipofusin in myocardium were reduced and the SOD activity in the liver were elevated in a dose-dependent manner while no effect was observed for blood GSH-Px activity and liver MDA content in mice perfused with the cultured C. militaris compared to those untreated mice. Furthermore, the average life span, maximum life span and 50% death time of the fruit flies treated with cultured C. militaris were markedly prolonged. The results suggest that the cultured C. militaris growing on pupa of silkworm possesses anti-oxidation and delay senescence activity.

• Mycobiology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.100-106
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• 2012

Interest in commercial cultivation and product development of Cordyceps species has shown a recent increase. Due to its biochemical and pharmacological effects, Cordyceps militaris, commonly known as orange caterpillar fungus, is being investigated with great interest. Cultivation of C. militaris has been practiced on a large scale in order to fulfill a demand for scientific investigation and product development. Isolates of C. militaris can be easily established from both spores and tissue. For isolation of spores, ascospores released from mature stromata are trapped in sterile medium. Multi-ascospore isolates, as well as combinations of single ascospore strains, are used for production of fruiting bodies. Progeny ascospore strains can be isolated from artificial fruiting bodies, thus, the cycle of fruiting body production can be continued for a long period of time. In this study, we examined fruiting body production from multi-ascospore isolates and their progeny strains for three generations. $F_1$ progeny strains generally produced a larger number of fruiting bodies, compared with their mother multi-ascospore isolates; however, $F_2$ and $F_3$ progeny strains produced fewer fruiting bodies. Optimum preservation conditions could help to increase the vitality of the progeny strains. In order to retain the fruiting ability of the strains, further testing of various methods of preservation and different methods for isolation should be performed.