Anti-asthmatic activities in mycelial extract and culture filtrate of Cordyceps sphecocephala J201

• Published in: International journal of molecular medicine Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 351 - 356
• Main Authors: Heo, Jin-Chul, Nam, Sung-Hee, Nam, Dong-Yoon, Kim, Jong-Guk, Lee, Kwang-Gil, Yeo, Joo-Hong, Yoon, Cheol-Sik, Park, Chul-Hong, Lee, Sang-Han
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece D.A. Spandidos 01.09.2010
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Asthmatic Agents - isolation & purification; Anti-Asthmatic Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Asthmatic Agents - therapeutic use; Asthma - drug therapy; Asthma - immunology; Bronchial Hyperreactivity - immunology; Cell Line - drug effects; Cordyceps - chemistry; Cordyceps - cytology; Cytokines - immunology; Disease Models, Animal; Lung - cytology; Lung - drug effects; Male; Medicine, East Asian Traditional; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mycelium - chemistry; Mycelium - ultrastructure; Ovalbumin - immunology; Spleen - cytology
• ISSN: 1107-3756; 1791-244X
• DOI: 10.3892/ijmm_00000472

This study investigated the effects of mycelial extract and culture filtrate of Cordyceps sphecocephala J201 on airway hyper-responsiveness, pulmonary immune cell infiltration, and Th2 cytokine expression in animal models of asthma. After Concanavalin A (Con A) activation of mouse primary spleen cells, the IL-4 and IL-13 cytokine expression were significantly decreased in the presence of the mycelial extract and culture filtrate of Cordyceps sphecocephala J201. The asthma model was induced by sensitization to ovalbumin by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection treatment in mice. The Cordyceps sphecocephala J201 mycelial extract was injected in order to assess the effects of anti-asthmatic activity by comparing lung cell infiltration in ovalbumin-induced asthmatic mice. The results revealed that the increased IL-4, IL-13 and IL-25 expression were controlled by the mycelial extract and culture filtrate of Cordyceps sphecocephala J201, indicating that the extracts reduced the undesirable immune responses and/or cytokine expression exhibited in asthma.