8613
0
Posted on Dec 31, 2009, 6 a.m.
University of Nottingham (UK) researchers discover new insights that may facilitate the utilization of a drug derived from cordyceps, a mushroom that is commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), for the treatment of cancer.
Cordyceps is a mushroom that is commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and was first mentioned in a medical scientific publication in 1950. Cornelia de Moor, from University of Nottingham (United Kingdom), and colleagues investigated a drug called cordycepin, which was originally extracted from wild cordyceps mushrooms and is now prepared from a cultivated form. While cordycepin has been shown in previous studies to affect mRNA to confer anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects, thus suggesting a potential role as an anti-cancer treatment, it quickly degrades in the body. By finding insights into the mechanism of action of the drug, the researchers have discovered ways to make it more effective.
Ying Ying Wong, Alice Moon, Ruth Duffin, Adeline Barthet-Barateig, Hedda A. Meijer, Michael J. Clemens, Cornelia H. de Moor. “Cordycepin inhibits protein synthesis and cell adhesion through effects on signal transduction.” J. Biol. Chem. jbc.M109.071159; November 23, 2009, doi:10.1074/jbc.M109.071159.
