FINGOLIMOD: FIRST ORAL THERAPY FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS EMERGED FROM THE STUDY OF THE PARASITIC FUNGI SUCH AS CORDYCEPS FAMILY Excerpt: Origins of Fingolimod: A Folk Medicine from Fungi Fingolimod emerged from the study of the fungal phylum Ascomycota, historically, commonly, and taxonomically referred to as class Ascomycetes within the kingdom Fungi. Within this group of “sac fungi” is the species Cordyceps of family Cordycipitaceae, which constitutes over 400 members characterized prominently by their entomopathogenic activity wherein the fungus infects a range of insect host species at different points in their development, parasitize them to grow out of the corpse to form the stalk and fruiting body of the fungus. This biological cycle was at least in part recognized in Chinese herbal medicine through the name, “Dong Chong Xia Cao,” meaning “winter worm, summer grass” that describes the infected insect larval form followed later by the fungal stalk form of most Cordyceps species . Folk medicine recognized an extensive range of health benefits produced by ingesting the fungus, and modern analytical techniques have identified important fungal metabolites that have human biological activities, including Cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosine) that inhibits tumor growth and was derived from C. militaris that parasitizes the silkworm , Cyclosporine, a classical immunosuppressant derived from C. subsessilis that infects the scarab beetle, and an immunosuppressant, myriocin (ISP-1).
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 12:52:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015