Evaluation of an EpitypifiedOphiocordyceps formosana(Cordyceps s.l.) for Its Pharmacological Potential

Abstract

The substantial merit ofCordyceps s.l.spp. in terms of medicinal benefits is largely appreciated. Nevertheless, only few studies have characterized and examined the clinical complications of the use of health tonics containing these species. Here, we epitypifiedC. formosanaisolates that were collected and characterized asOphiocordyceps formosanabased on morphological characteristics, molecular phylogenetic analyses, and metabolite profiling. Thus, we renamed and transferredC. formosanato the new protologueOphiocordyceps formosana(Kobayasi & Shimizu) Wang, Tsai, Tzean & Shencomb. nov.Additionally, the pharmacological potential ofO. formosanawas evaluated based on the hot-water extract from its mycelium. The relative amounts of the known bioactive ingredients that are unique toCordyceps s.l.species inO. formosanawere found to be similar to the amounts inO. sinensisandC. militaris, indicating the potential applicability ofO. formosanafor pharmacological uses. Additionally, we found thatO. formosanaexhibited antioxidation activitiesin vitroandin vivothat were similar to those ofO. sinensisandC. militaris. Furthermore,O. formosanaalso displayed conspicuously effective antitumor activity compared with the testedCordyceps s.l.species. Intrinsically,O. formosanaexhibited less toxicity than the otherCordycepsspecies. Together, our data suggest that the metabolites ofO. formosanamay play active roles in complementary medicine.