The Anticancer Properties of Cordycepin and Their Underlying Mechanisms

Abstract

Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi that has been used for traditional herbal remedies. It contains various bioactive ingredients including cordycepin. Cordycepin, also known as 3-deoxyadenosine, is a major compound and has been suggested to have anticancer potential. The treatment of various cancer cells with cordycepin in effectively induces cell death and retards their cancerous properties. However, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Recent evidence has shed light on the molecular pathways involving cysteine-aspartic proteases (caspases), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β). Furthermore, the pathways are mediated by putative receptors, such as adenosine receptors (ADORAs), death receptors (DRs), and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This review provides the molecular mechanisms by which cordycepin functions as a singular or combinational anticancer therapeutic agent.

Cordycepin induces apoptosis in human bladder cancer T24 cells through ROS-dependent inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

“…Many previous studies have shown that cordycepin induces apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells under conditions that are not toxic to normal cells (21,23,38). It has also been reported that several cellular signaling pathways are involved in the induction of apoptosis of cancer cells by cordycepin (27,32,35,(38)(39)(40), and that the accumulation of ROS associated with mitochondrial dysfunction acts as a major signal in this process (27,(29)(30)32,39,41).…”

“…Recently, many studies into the natural compounds that have been traditionally used in the treatment of various diseases have shown great interest in their use as potential resources for cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy (18)(19)(20). Among them, cordycepin is a type of nucleoside analogue that is isolated from the fungi belonging to the Cordyceps genus, such as Cordyceps militaris and C. sinensis (21)(22)(23). Although various pharmacological actions of cordycepin have been known, research on the anticancer activity, including the induction of apoptosis of cancer cells, has been conducted most extensively (21,(23)(24)(25).…”

“…Among them, cordycepin is a type of nucleoside analogue that is isolated from the fungi belonging to the Cordyceps genus, such as Cordyceps militaris and C. sinensis (21)(22)(23). Although various pharmacological actions of cordycepin have been known, research on the anticancer activity, including the induction of apoptosis of cancer cells, has been conducted most extensively (21,(23)(24)(25). For example, the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis pathways may be involved in the induction of apoptosis of human hepatocarcinoma and prostate cancer cells, and mouse Leydig tumor cells by cordycepin (26)(27)(28).…”

Traditional Tibetan Medicine in Cancer Therapy by Targeting Apoptosis Pathways

“…Defects in apoptosis occur in most types of cancer, such as lung, female breast, prostate, liver, thyroid, and bladder cancers. A large number of studies have shown that regulating and inducing apoptosis are feasible ways for treating cancer ( Hoshyar and Mollaei, 2017 ; Yoon et al., 2018 ). In vitro and in vivo experiments have demonstrated that the mechanism of apoptosis encompasses extremely complex processes and involve many biological factors, and failure to induce apoptosis is one of the major obstacles to cancer treatment ( Li-Weber, 2013 ).…”

Endothelial Nitric Oxide Mediates the Anti-Atherosclerotic Action of Torenia concolor Lindley var. Formosama Yamazaki

“…During the past decade, considerable efforts have been taken to discover the potential of traditional Chinese medicine in many fields, particularly cancers, inflammatory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases [15][16][17][18][19][20]. Torenia concolor Lindley var.…”