Biological characteristics, bioactive components and antineoplastic properties of sporoderm-broken spores from wild Cordyceps cicadae.

BACKGROUND: Cordyceps cicadae, an entomogenous fungus has been used as a dietary therapeutic in traditional Chinese medicine for several millennia, in the form of powders and decoction. However, wild C. cicadae is notably scarce. To date, there is still a lack of comprehensive and deep studies on the biological characteristics, chemical profiles and antineoplastic mechanisms of C. cicadae, especially its spores.

AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to identify wild C. cicadae using rDNA-ITS sequences. Active constituents and volatile ingredients of C. cicadae sporoderm-broken spore powders (CCBSP) were elucidated using UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS and GC-MS, respectively. The underlying anti-neoplastic mechanisms of CCBSP were further investigated in A549 lung carcinoma cells.

RESULTS: Molecular phylogenetic analysis of nuclear rDNA sequences indicated that wild C. cicadae belonged to Paecilomyces cicadae. Eight primary compounds from CCBSP were identified by MS fragmentation ions including nucleosides, cordycepic acid, cordycepin, beauvericin and myriocin. In total, forty-nine volatile components representing 99.56% of CCBSP were clearly identified. CCBSP exhibited antiproliferative effects on A549 cells with IC50 value of 125.54 ± 2.71 µg/ml, blocking the cell cycle in the G2/M phase. The nuclear morphology exhibited typical characteristics of apoptosis by Hoechst fluorescent stain. AnnexinV-FITC/PI staining revealed that the number of apoptotic cells increased after CCBSP treatment. Furthermore, immunofluorescence experiments indicated that CCBSP lowered the expressions of β-catenin and N-cadherin, which was accompanied by repressed Wnt/β-catenin signalling and activation of caspase-mediated apoptosis pathways.

CONCLUSIONS: rDNA-ITS sequencing enabled molecular identification of wild C. cicadae. Importantly, these findings provide the first evidence regarding the full-scale bioactive components and antineoplastic properties of CCBSP. These data highlight the significance of C. cicadae as a potential antineoplastic agent.