title: A direct protein kinase B-targeted anti-inflammatory activity of cordycepin from artificially cultured fruit body of Cordyceps militaris.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cordyceps militaris is one of well-known medicinal mushrooms with anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-obesity activities.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the following study is to isolate chemical components from the ethanol extract (Cm-EE) from Cordyceps militaris and to evaluate their anti-inflammatory activities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Column chromatographic separation was performed and anti-inflammatory roles of these compounds were also examined by using NO production and protein kinase B (AKT) activity assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From Cm-EE, 13 constituents, including trehalose (1), cordycepin (2), 6-hydroxyethyladenosine (3), nicotinic amide (4), butyric acid (5), β-dimorphecolic acid (6), α-dimorphecolic acid (7), palmitic acid (8), linoleic acid (9), cordycepeptide A (10), 4-(2-hydroxy-3-((9E,12E)-octadeca-9,12-dienoyloxy)propoxy)-2-(trimethylammonio)butanoate (11), 4-(2-hydroxy-3-(palmitoyloxy)propoxy)-2-(trimethylammonio)butanoate (12), and linoleic acid methyl ester (13) were isolated. Of these components, compound 2 displayed a significant inhibitory effect on NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, this compound strongly and directly suppressed the kinase activity of AKT, an essential signalling enzyme in LPS-induced NO production, by interacting with its ATP binding site.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  C. militaris could have anti-inflammatory activity mediated by cordycepin-induced suppression of AKT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetic Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Ju Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetic Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Hye
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetic Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwang-Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbal Crop Research, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, RDA, Eumseoung 369 873, Korea.
authors.forename: Geum Soog
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbal Crop Research, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, RDA, Eumseoung 369 873, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbal Crop Research, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, RDA, Eumseoung 369 873, Korea.
authors.forename: Dae Young
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbal Crop Research, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, RDA, Eumseoung 369 873, Korea.
authors.forename: Je Hun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbal Crop Research, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, RDA, Eumseoung 369 873, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Yu
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440 746, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Bong
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbal Crop Research, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, RDA, Eumseoung 369 873, Korea.
authors.forename: Gi-Ho
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440 746, Korea.
authors.forename: Kang Ro
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetic Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Youl
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbal Crop Research, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, RDA, Eumseoung 369 873, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyung Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Noh
keywords: Anti-inflammatory activity; Cordyceps militaris (Clavicipitaceae); cordycepin; phytochemical study; protein kinase B