Table 3.
Antitumor immunity effects and mechanisms of Chinese Cordyceps in various models.
| Bioactive Component | Pharmacological Effects | Models | Major Mediating Signaling Pathways | Mechanism of Action | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cordycepin | ↑Antitumor immunity responses ↓CT 26 cell migration ↑CT 26 cell apoptosis |
CT 26 cells in mice | ↑CD4+ T, CD8+ T cells ↑NK cells ↑M1 macrophages ↑CD11b+, F4/80+ ↓CD47 |
[38] | |
| JLM 0636 (cordycepin-enriched extract of C. militaris) |
↑Th 1 cells ↑Immune responses ↓Treg cells ↓Immunosuppression |
FM3A murine breast cancer cells, derived from C3H/He mouse | ↑CD8+ T cells ↑IFN-γ ↓CD4+CD25+ T cells ↓IL-2 ↓TGF-β |
[39] | |
| WECS (Nucleoside extract of C. sinensis) |
↓MDA-MB-231 cells ↓4T1 cells ↑M1 macrophages ↑Immune responses |
MDA-MB-231, 4T1 breast cancer cells co-cultured with macrophages | NF-κB | ↑CD38 ↑iNOS ↑IL-1β ↑IL-12p70 ↑TNF-α ↑IL-6 ↑IFN-γ ↑NO |
[102] |
| EPSP | ↑M1 macrophages ↑Spleen lymphocyte ↑Immune response ↓Tumor migration |
B16 melanoma-bearing mice | ↓Bcl-2 | [52] | |
| APSF | ↑M1 macrophages ↑Immune response ↓M2 macrophages ↓Immunosuppression |
Ana-1 mouse macrophages co-cultured with H22 cells | NF-κB | ↑TNF-α ↑IL-12 ↑iNOS ↓IL-10 ↓SR ↓MR |
[103] |
| CMPB90-1 | ↑M1 macrophages ↑Immune response ↓M2 macrophages ↓Immunosuppression |
IL-4, tumor cell supernatant-induced RAW264.7 cells | NF-κB Akt MAPK (p38 and ERK) |
↓IL-10 ↓TGF-β ↓Arg-1 ↑IL-12 ↑iNOS |
[48] |
Akt, serine/threonine kinase; Arg-1, arginase-1; ERK, extracellular-signal-regulated kinases; IFN-γ, interferon-gamma; IL, interleukin; iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase; IPS, intracellular polysaccharide; MAPKs, mitogen-activated protein kinases; MR, mannose receptor; NK, natural killer cell; NF-κB, nuclear factor kappaB; NO, nitric oxide; TGF-β, transforming growth factor-beta; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-alpha; SR, scavenger receptor.