[Antitumor Chemical Entities of Cordyceps taii Mycelia Powder from Guizhou].

OBJECTIVE: To seperate and identify the chemicals from the antitumor fraction of Cordyceps taii mycelia powder.

METHODS: The mycelia of Cordyceps taii were prepared by the submerged fermentation technique. Chemical entities in the antitumor fraction of Cordyceps taii were isolated and purified by using different column chromatographies (silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and MCI), and semi-preparative HPLC method. Theirs chemical structures were then identified by different spectrum techniques such as EI, ESI and 1D/2D-NMR, etc. The cytotoxic activity was investigated by the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay.

RESULTS: Six compounds, such as 5α,8α-epidioxyergosta-6,22-dien-3β-ol (1), ergosterol (2), adenine nucleoside (3), helvolic acid (4), deacetylcytochalasin C (5) and zygosporin D (6), were identified. The IC50 value of compound 2 against human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 was 5.99 μmol/L, which was less than the half value of cisplatin, and had lower cytotoxicity to normal cells in comparison with cisplatin.

CONCLUSION: Six compounds have been isolated from the antitumor fraction of Cordyceps taii mycelia powder,of which compounds 1, 5 and 6 are isolated from Cordyceps taii for the first time. Compounds 1, 2 and 4 have cytotoxic activities against cancer cells, and should be the main antitumor compounds of Cordyceps taii.