If you're familiar at all with the Cordyceps genus of fungi, it's likely because of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis—the so-called "zombie ant" fungus that hijacks the bodies of certain bugs, turning them into mindless drones so help them spread their spores. (See also: The Last Of Us, The Girl With All The Gifts, et cetera.)
But a separate strain of the fungus family, Cordyceps militaris — also known as "caterpillar fungus — has demonstrated a different sort of power. According to a recent study published in the scientific journal FEBS Letters, this fungus produces an anti-inflammatory protein called cordycepin that can be used to treat cancer. As the researchers write in the paper:
We therefore examined the effects of cordycepin in breast cancer cell lines, in which growth factor signalling plays a large role in both oncogenesis and drug resistance. …Cordycepin reduced the cell number after a 72h exposure to below the seeded number of cells with 50 μm (Cor50) having a larger effect than 10 μm (Cor10). This indicates that cordycepin reduces cell survival and proliferation.
Put another way: it slows down the growth of cancer cells.
C. militaris has been used in some Asian cultures as an ingredient for health foods and traditional medicines, but this is the first time that this particular application has been studied. As one of the lead researchers explained in a statement:
Our data confirms that cordycepin is a good starting point for novel cancer medicines and explains its beneficial effects. For instance, derivatives of cordycepin could aim to produce the triphosphate form of the drug to have the same effect. In addition, the data will help with monitoring the effects of cordycepin in patients, as our data indicate particular genes whose activity reliably responds to cordycepin, which could for instance be measured in blood cells.
Using parasitic fungi to kill your cancer cells. What a time to be alive.
Cordycepin generally inhibits growth factor signal transduction in a systems pharmacology study [Steven Lawrence, Jialiang Lin, Asma Khurshid, Wahyu Utami, Richa Singhania, Sadaf Ashraf, Graeme J. Thorn, Irengbam Rocky Mangangcha, Keith Spriggs, Dong-Hyun Kim, David Barrett, Cornelia H. de Moor / FEBS Letters]
Research shows caterpillar fungus can slow down growth of cancer cells [University of Nottingham]
