Regulation of human cytokines by Cordyceps militaris

Yong Sun a,b, Yani Shao a, Zhiguo Zhang c, Lianfen Wangb, Alfred M. Mariga a,d, Guangchang Pang e, Chaoyu Geng e, Chi-Tang Ho f, Qiuhui Hua, Liyan Zhao a,*

a College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
b Beijing Food Research Institute, Beijing 100162, China
c College of Food and Bioengineering, Shandong Polytechnic University, Jinan 250353, China
d Department of Dairy and Food Science and Technology, Egerton University, Egerton 536, Kenya
e College of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China
f Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA

a b s t r a c t
Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris) exhibits many biological activities including antioxidant,inhibition of inflammation, cancer prevention, hypoglycemic, and antiaging properties, etc. However, a majority of studies involving C. militaris have focused only on in vitro and animal models, and there is a lack of direct translation and application of study results to clinical practice (e.g., health benefits). In this study, we investigated the regulatory effects of C. militaris micron powder (3 doses) on the human immune system. The study results showed that administration of C. militaris at various dosages reduced the activity of cytokines such as eotaxin, fibroblast growth factor-2, GRO, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. In addition, there was a significant decrease in the activity of various cytokines, including GRO, sCD40L, and tumor necrosis factor-a, and a significant downregulation of interleukin-12(p70), interferon-g inducible protein 10, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1b activities, indicating that C. militaris at all three dosages downregulated the activity of cytokines, especially inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Different dosages of C. militaris produced different changes in cytokines.

Keywords:
Cordyceps militaris
Cytokine reduction
Human cytokines
Human trial
Immune system