Mushroom derived drug shows promise for cancer treatment

A drug called cordycepin derived from a wild type of mushroom called cordyceps has shown to have anticancer effects. Cordyceps is a type of fungus that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years. It is also known as Chinese catepillar fungus, because it is a parasite that grows on the Tibetan caterpillar until the caterpillar dies, at which point it sprouts a mushroom. The Chinese have long used cordyceps to promote overall good health, and modern research indicates that cordyceps does indeed support liver, kidney, heart, and immune system function. It also appears to act as an antioxidant in the body, protecting it from free radical damage. Inspired by the use of this drug in chinese medicine, researchers from the University of Nottingham have been engaged in a detailed study about it.They found that this drug has the potential to treat cancer. At a low dose it inhibits the uncontrolled growth and division of the cells and at high doses it stops cells from sticking together, which also inhibits growth. Both of these effects probably have the same underlying mechanism, which is that cordycepin interferes with how cells make proteins. At low doses cordycepin interferes with the production of mRNA, the molecule that gives instructions on how to assemble a protein. And at higher doses it has a direct impact on the making of proteins. Researchers are now looking into the different types of cancers that this drug can be used against.They are also trying to create effective and stable versions of it.One drawback in the use of these drugs is that it is subjected to quick degradation in the body. Researchers are trying to find a solution for this by coupling this drug with another.But the second drug which poses to have high side effects again makes the process ineffective. This research could also lay the groundwork for the design of new cancer drugs that work on the same principle according to Dr Cornelia de Moor of the University of Nottingham. The research is due to be published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.