School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
Phytochem Anal. 2024 Mar;35(2):308-320. doi: 10.1002/pca.3289. Epub 2023 Oct 1.
Ophiocordyceps gracilis is an entomopathogenic fungus and a precious traditional Chinese medicine with similar medicinal properties to Ophiocordyceps sinensis. However, information on the metabolite profiles of natural O. gracilis and its cultures is lacking, which limits their utilization.
The metabolic variations and antioxidant activities of O. gracilis cultures and natural O. gracilis were analyzed to evaluate the nutritional and medicinal value of O. gracilis and its cultures.
The metabolite profiles of O. gracilis cultures (fruiting bodies and aerial mycelia), natural O. gracilis, and natural O. sinensis were compared by LC-MS/MS coupled with multivariate data analysis. Furthermore, their antioxidant activities were evaluated based on their DPPH , ABTS , and OH scavenging abilities.
A total of 612 metabolites were identified, and the metabolic compositions of the four Cordyceps samples were similar, with differences observed in the levels of some metabolites. There were 126 differential metabolites between natural O. gracilis and natural O. sinensis, among which fatty acids, carbohydrates, and secondary metabolites are predominant in natural O. gracilis. Furthermore, 116 differential metabolites between O. gracilis cultures and natural Cordyceps were identified, with generally higher levels in O. gracilis cultures than in natural Cordyceps. O. gracilis cultivated fruiting bodies exhibited the strongest antioxidant capacity among Cordyceps samples. Additionally, 46 primary and 24 secondary differential metabolites contribute to antioxidant activities.
This study provides a reference for the application of natural O. gracilis and its cultures in functional food and medicine from the perspective of metabolites and antioxidant capacity.
纤细虫草是一种昆虫病原真菌，也是一种珍贵的传统中药，具有与冬虫夏草相似的药用特性。然而，关于天然纤细虫草及其培养物的代谢物谱信息的缺乏限制了它们的利用。
分析纤细虫草培养物（子实体和气生菌丝体）与天然纤细虫草的代谢变化和抗氧化活性，以评估纤细虫草及其培养物的营养价值和药用价值。
通过 LC-MS/MS 结合多变量数据分析比较了纤细虫草培养物、天然纤细虫草和天然冬虫夏草的代谢物谱。此外，还根据它们对 DPPH、ABTS 和·OH 的清除能力来评估它们的抗氧化活性。
共鉴定出 612 种代谢物，四种虫草样品的代谢组成相似，一些代谢物的水平存在差异。天然纤细虫草和天然冬虫夏草之间有 126 种差异代谢物，其中脂肪酸、碳水化合物和次生代谢物在天然纤细虫草中占优势。此外，在纤细虫草培养物与天然虫草之间还鉴定出 116 种差异代谢物，通常在纤细虫草培养物中的水平高于天然虫草。虫草培养子实体在虫草样品中表现出最强的抗氧化能力。此外，46 种初级和 24 种次级差异代谢物有助于抗氧化活性。
从代谢物和抗氧化能力的角度来看，本研究为天然纤细虫草及其培养物在功能性食品和医药中的应用提供了参考。
