Premium
Antioxidant and Immunostimulating Activities of the Fruiting Bodies of Paecilomyces japonica , a New Type of Cordyceps sp.
Author(s) -
Shin Kuk Hyun,
Lim Soon Sung,
Lee Sang Hyun,
Lee Yeon Sil,
Cho Sae Yun
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2001.tb05655.x
Subject(s) - cordyceps , lipid peroxidation , catalase , antioxidant , polysaccharide , biochemistry , chemistry , fungus , biological activity , bioassay , enzyme , food science , biology , botany , in vitro , genetics
A bstract :Cordyceps is negative for its many biological activities and a tonic for restoring vital functions in traditional Chinese medicine. In an effort to evaluate the pharmacological effects, including the antiaging effect of the fruiting bodies of the cultivated Paecilomyces japonica fungus, a new type of Cordyceps sp. was investigated. This investigation was focused on ultimately revealing its biologically active principles, its effects on free‐radical scavenging enzymes, lipid peroxidation, as well as its immunological functions. As a result, both water and methanol extracts were found to cause not only significant increases in rat liver cytosolic SOD, catalase, and GSEH‐px activities, but also a significant decrease in MDA production in TBA reactant assay in rats. The extracts also showed immunostimulating activity as measured by carbon clearance, weight‐loaded forced swimming performances, and immobilizing stress in mice. Using bioassay‐guided systematic fractionation of the extracts, two pure compounds were isolated as active principles from low molecular‐weight fraction, a protein‐bound polysaccharide was isolated that showed a marked increase in the liver enzyme activities, as well as a significant inhibition of lipid peroxidation.