Ophiocordyceps sinensis: A Potential Caterpillar Fungus for the Production of Bioactive Compounds

Abstract

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is widely used in traditional Asian medicine and grows at high altitudes (3,000–4,000 meters) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This fungus is an expensive and rare species that is difficult to cultivate. Increasing global demand, limited commercial trade, and precious resources drive an urgent need for the development of artificial cultivation techniques to produce bioactive compounds. This paper reviews the genome biology, culture systems, solid-state and submerged fermentation processes used to produce bioactive compounds in O. sinensis. It also elucidates its biological properties at the genome level for the development of synthetic media. We performed a bibliometric analysis, retrieving information on various aspects of this fungus from NCBI PubMed. A total of 135 research articles on O. sinensis were collected, of which 104 focused on the production of bioactive compounds and 26 focused on ‘x-omics’ studies. Next-generation sequencing data provides a genetic basis for fungal biology and host specificity. Recent developmental transcriptomic studies described mechanisms underlying the transcriptional regulation of fruiting body development and cold adaptation. Metabolic data indicate that many bioactive compounds are produced by cultured mycelia or fruiting bodies. The biological properties of this fungus can be used to design and develop synthetic media for fruiting body development and enhance the production of bioactive compounds. Several bioactive compounds and their pharmacological properties have been studied in the mycelia and culture supernatants. Since cultured O. sinensis is an alternative to natural and cultured C. militaris strains, research on the design and formulation of solid media for the production of fruiting bodies and bioactive compounds is currently attracting attention.