Researchers discover that chemicals in Cordyceps sinensis may slow the growth of cancer cells

A caterpillar infected with Cordyceps sinensis, a beautiful orange fungus that produces Cordyceps sinensis (cordycepin). Credit: Daniel Winkler – Mushroaming
New research into a chemical produced by a caterpillar fungus that holds promise as a potential cancer treatment reveals how it interacts with genes and blocks cell growth signals. This discovery is an important step toward developing new drugs that may cause less damage to healthy tissue than most currently available treatments.
Scientists at the University of Nottingham’s School of Pharmacy are investigating how cordycepin, a drug found in mushrooms, could serve as a potential treatment for a variety of diseases. I’m researching. The study was published in the journal FEBS Letters.
Cordyceps sinensis is famous as a health food and traditional medicine in Asia. Cordycepin, produced by Cordyceps sinensis, a beautiful orange fungus that infects caterpillars, has shown promise as a cancer treatment in various studies, but until now its mechanism of action was unknown.
The research team used high-throughput technology to measure the effects of cordycepin on the activity of thousands of genes in multiple cell lines. This study compared the effects of cordycepin with other treatments in the database and showed that cordycepin acts in all cases by acting on growth-inducing pathways in cells.
By studying what happens to cordycepin inside cells, the researchers determined that cordycepin is converted to cordycepin triphosphate, an analog of ATP, the cellular energy carrier. Cordycepin triphosphate has been shown to be likely responsible for the effects on cell proliferation and is therefore a molecule that can directly affect cancer cells.
Dr. Cornelia de Moor from the School of Pharmacy led the study. She explains: “We have been studying the effects of cordycepin on a variety of diseases for many years, and each step brings us closer to understanding how cordycepin can be used as an effective treatment.
“One of the exciting things that’s happening is that it’s become easier and cheaper to do these very large-scale experiments, so we can now test thousands of genes at the same time. .
“Our data confirm that cordycepin is a good starting point for new cancer drugs and explain its beneficial effects. We may aim to produce the phosphate form.”
“Furthermore, our data points to specific genes whose activity reliably responds to cordycepin, so this data could be useful for monitoring the effects of cordycepin in patients, which could be measured, for example, in blood cells. .”
Further information: Steven Lawrence et al, Cordycepin commonly inhibits growth factor signaling in systems pharmacology studies, FEBS Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.15046
Provided by University of Nottingham
Citation: Fungal chemicals in caterpillars may slow cancer cell growth, researchers find (November 7, 2024) https://phys.org/news/2024-11-caterpillar-fungus Retrieved November 7, 2024 from -chemical-growth-cancer. html
This document is subject to copyright. No part may be reproduced without written permission, except in fair dealing for personal study or research purposes. Content is provided for informational purposes only.