Hirudo nipponia (known as Shui Zhi in Chinese) is a well-known Chinese medicine with numerous active ingredients in its body, especially in its saliva. This native Chinese blood-sucking leech has been used for therapeutic purposes since before 100 AD. Modern Chinese physicians use it for a wide range of diseases. Genomic data and molecular information about the pharmacologically active substances produced by this medicinal leech are presently unavailable despite this organism’s medicinal importance. In this study, we performed transcriptome profiling of the salivary glands of medicinal leech H. nipponia using the Illumina platform. In total, 84,657,362 clean reads were assembled into 50,535 unigenes. The obtained unigenes were compared to public databases. Furthermore, a unigene sequence similarity search and comparisons with the whole transcriptome of medical leech were performed to identify potential proteins. Finally, more than 21 genes were predicted to be involved in anticoagulatory, antithrombotic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antitumor processes, which might play important roles in the treatment of various diseases. This study is the first analysis of a sialotranscriptome in H. nipponia. The transcriptome profile will shed light on its genetic background and provide a useful tool to deepen our understanding of the medical value of H. nipponia.

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Hepialus gonggaensis was sequenced for the first time. The complete mtDNA sequence was 15,940 bp in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and an AT-rich region, the gene composition and the arrangement of which were identical to other insects of Hepialidae. The overall base composition of the heavy strand was 41.14% A, 40.24% T, 11.17% C, and 7.45% G, with an AT content of 81.37%. The necleotide sequence data of 13 protein-coding genes of H. gonggaensis and other 10 Lepidoptera species were used for constructing the phylogenetic tree. It revealed that H. gonggaensis and other four Hepialidae species were clustered to a clade with high bootstraps values.

A. camphorata mycelia and antrodin A might have potential use as anti-HSV agents and are promising candidates for future antiviral drug design.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis (syn. Cordyceps sinensis), well known as DongChongXiaCao (DCXC), is one of the most valuable traditional Chinese medicinal species. In this article, we provide a systematic review of natural enemies and diseases encountered in artificial cultivation of DCXC. Unfortunately, DCXC has been endangered over the past decades due to overharvesting and a worsening ecological environment. Therefore, the artificial cultivation of DCXC has been extensively investigated in recent years. Complete indoor artificial cultivation and semi-field cultivation are the two most common strategies used to cultivate DCXC. However, cultured DCXCs are often attacked by various natural enemies and diseases, which have resulted in substantial loss of the valuable medicinal resource. In this study, we have summarized the species of natural enemies and types of diseases confronted by DCXC. Twenty reported natural enemy species are categorized into four classes, one of which is reported for the first time in this study. Moreover, six microbial pathogens are also discussed. The recapitulation of the natural enemies and diseases in DCXC artificial cultivation not only promote the development of integrated pest management of DCXC cultivation but also provide important information to help preserve and develop this valuable resource.

Although Hepialus xiaojinensis is important as the host of Ophiocordyceps sinensis, it remains poorly known especially in genetic structure and phylogeny status. To get a better understanding of it, the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of H. xiaojinensis was sequenced for the first time. The genome was 15 397 bp in size and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and an AT-rich region, and the gene composition and the arrangement of which were consistent with other insects of Hepialidae. The base composition of the genome was A (41.44%), T (39.68%), C (11.52%), and G (7.36%), with an AT content of 81.13%. Moreover, we have performed phylogenetic analysis of H. xiaojinensis and other 11 Lepidoptera species.