Recent advances in Cordyceps sinensis polysaccharides: Mycelial fermentation, isolation, structure, and bioactivities: A review

Abstract

Polysaccharide Production Extraction Structural elucidation Bioactivity A B S T R A C T Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) sinensis, the Chinese caterpillar fungus, is a unique and precious medicinal fungus in traditional Chinese medicine which has been used as a prestigious tonic and therapeutic herb in China for centuries. Polysaccharides are bioactive constituents of C. sinensis, exhibiting several activities such as immunomodulation, antitumour, antioxidant and hypoglycaemic. As natural C. sinensis fruiting body-caterpillar complexes are very rare and expensive, the polysaccharides documented over the last 15-20 years from this fungal species were mostly extracted from cultivated fungal mycelia (intracellular polysaccharides) or from mycelial fermentation broth (exopolysaccharides).Extraction and purification of the polysaccharides is a tedious process involving numerous steps of liquid and solid phase separations. Nevertheless, a large number of polysaccharide structures have been purified and elucidated. However, relationships between the structures and activities of these polysaccharides are not well established. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the most recent developments in various aspects (i.e., production, extraction, structure, and bioactivity) of the intracellular and exopolysaccharides from mycelial fermentation of C. sinensis fungi. The contents and data will serve as useful references for further investigation, production and application of these polysaccharides in functional foods and therapeutic agents.

Physiological Active Substance Changes of Soybean Curd Residue Fermented by <i>Preussia aemulans</i> and its Bioactivity

“…Polysaccharides have been identified as the major active components of C. sinensis with a wide range of bioactivities including immunomodulation, antitumour, antioxidation and hypoglycemic effects (Yan et al, 2014). Mushrooms could accumulate a variety of secondary metabolites, such as phenolic compounds, polyketides, terpenes and steroids (Cheung et al, 2003).…”

Current nomenclatural changes inCordyceps sensu latoand its multidisciplinary impacts

“…Cordyceps sinensis was established by Saccardo (1883) during the taxonomic revision of Cordyceps that was recently transferred to Ophiocordyceps resulting in O. sinensis as its currently accepted name, after the phylogenetic classification of Cordyceps (Sung et al 2007) and is now widely accepted by the mycological community. However, the older name C. sinensis is still in frequent use in non-mycological publications (Yan et al 2014; Yan and Wu 2014; Yu et al 2016), despite its recent nomenclatural change. Similarly, C. ophioglossoides (Sun et al 2014) and C. sobolifera (Yang and Zhang 2016) are used in publications, in spite of their recent nomenclatural changes.…”

Polysaccharide-Protein Complexes from Edible Fungi and Applications

“…Scheme 1 Liquid fermentation of Cs-HK1 fungal mycelia (Yan et al 2014;Wu et al 2014) (HWE), which is also a common method for the preparation of herbal decoctions in Chinese and other folk medicines and for the isolation of water-soluble bioactive compounds from natural products. Aqueous alkaline has been applied to extract PS that are less soluble in water.…”