• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.482-490
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• 2022

Sarcopenia, a geriatric and multifactorial syndrome characterized by progressive systemic skeletal muscle disorder, may be associated with many comorbidities. Sarcopenia caused by a decrease in muscle mass and muscle strength is accompanied by the aggravation of various pathological conditions, and as life expectancy increases, its prevalence will continue to increase in the future. During the aging process, chronic oxidative stress and increased inflammatory responses act as major contributors to skeletal muscle loss. In addition, disruption of autophagy and apoptosis signals associated with dysfunction of mitochondria, which are essential for energy metabolism, accelerates the loss of muscle proteins. The pharmacological effect of cordycepin, a major physiologically active substance in the genus Cordyceps, which has been widely used for the prevention and treatment of various diseases for a long time, is directly related to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. In this review, we present the correlation between apoptosis, autophagy, protein catabolism, and satellite cell activity important for muscle regeneration using cordycepin for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia. Although there have been few studies so far on the use of cordycepin for sarcopenia, previous studies suggest that cordycepin may contribute to inhibiting the age-related weakening of mitochondrial function and blocking the breakdown of muscle proteins. In addition, the protective effect of cordycepin on muscle cell damage is considered to be closely related to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, it is considered that more continuous basic research is needed, focusing on the molecular biological mechanism of cordycepin, which is involved in the anti-aging of muscle cells.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.05a
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• pp.13-13
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• 2014

Two kinds of mushrooms, Gumji (金芝; Ganoderma) and Soji, were described in old book of Samguksagi (History of the three kingdoms; B.C 57~A.D 668; written by Bu Sik Kim in 1145) in Korea-dynasty. Many kinds of mushrooms were also described in more than 17 kinds of old books during Chosun-dynasty (1392~1910) in Korea. Nowadays, mushroom cultivation has been increased through out the world last decade years. Production of mushrooms has also been increased 10-20% and many varieties have been cultivated. Similar trends were also observed in Korea. Approximately two hundred commercial strains of 37 species in mushrooms were developed and distributed to cultivators. Somatic hybrid variety of oyster mushroom 'Wonhyeong-neutari' were developed by protoplast fusion, and distributed to grower in 1989. The fruiting body yield index of somatic hybrids of Pleurotus ranged between 27 and 155 compared to parental values of 100 and 138. In addition, more diverse mushroom varieties such as Phellinus baumi, Auricularia spp., Pleurotus ferulae, Hericium erinaceus, Hypsizigus marmoreus, Grifola frondosa, Agrocybe aegerita and Pleurotus cornucopiae have been attempted to cultivate in small scale cultivation. Production of mushrooms as food was 190,111 metric tons valued at 800 billion Korean Won (one trillion won if include mushroom factory products; 1dollar = 1,040 Won) in 2011. Major cultivated species are Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus eryngii, Flammulina velutipes, Lentinula edodes, Agaricus bisporus, and Ganoderma lucidum, which cover 90% of total production. Since mushroom export was initiated from 1960 to 1980, the export and import of mushrooms have been increased in Korea. Technology developed for liquid spawn production and automatic cultivation systems lead to the reduction of the production cost resulting in the increasement of mushroom export. However some species were imported because of high production cost for these mushrooms requiring the effective cultivation methods. Developing of effective post-harvest system will be also directly related to mushroom export. In academic area, RDA scientists have been conducting mushroom genome projects. One of the main results is the whole genome sequencing of Flammulina velutipes for molecular breeding. An electrophoretic karyotype of of F. velutipes was obtained using CHEF with 7 chromosomes, with a total genome size of approximately 26.7 Mb. The mususcript of the genome of F. velutipes was published in PLOS ONE this year. For medicinal mushrooms, we have been conducting the genome research on Cordyceps and its related species for developing functional foods using this mushroom. In 2013, Korea Food and Drug Administraion (KFDA) approved Cordyceps mushroom for its value as an immune booster.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.607-614
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• 2015

Cancers are the largest cause of mortality and morbidity all over the world. Cordycepin, an adenosine analog, is a major functional component of the Cordyceps species, which has been widely used in traditional Oriental medicine. Over the last decade, this compound has been reported to possess many pharmacological properties, such as an ability to enhance immune function, as well as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer effects. Recently, numerous studies have reported interesting properties of cordycepin as a chemopreventive agent as well. There is an accumulating body of experimental evidences suggesting that cordycepin impedes cancer progression by promoting apoptosis, inducing cell cycle arrest, modulating intracellular signaling pathways, and inhibiting invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. In many cancer cell lines, cordycepin inhibits growth and cell cycle progression by inducing arrest of the G2/M phase, resulting from the inhibition of retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation and induction of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. To induce apoptosis, cordycepin activates the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways, which promotes reactive oxygen species generation and the downstream activation of kinase cascades. Cordycepin also can activate alternative pathways to cell death such autophagy. In addition, cordycepin can inhibit the pro-metastatic processes of cancer cell detachment, migration, and invasion through a variety of mechanisms, including the nuclear factor-kappa B and activated protein-1 signaling pathways. In this review, we summarized the variety of action mechanisms by which cordycepin may mediate chemopreventive effects on cancer and discussed the potential of this natural product as a promising therapeutic inhibitor of cancer development.