Cordyceps pruinosa produces cordycepin and N6-(2-hydroxyethyl)-adenosine in culture

Cordyceps species are entomophagous pathogens with medicinal properties, mostly linked to cordycepin and N6- (2-hydroxyethyl)-adenosine (HEA). An isolate of Cordyceps pruinosa (GZUCC 8552) was obtained from a fruiting body formed on the cocoon a Limacodidae insect collected in Guizhou Province, China. Morphological and molecular analysis (combined 5.8S ITS, RPB1 and 18S RNA) confirmed the species to be Cordyceps pruinosa. Metabolites of the isolate grown in liquid static and solid-state media were established by HPLC-MS. Cordycepin (5.311 mg/g) and HEA (0.558 mg/g) were produced by this strain. This is the first record of cordycepin from an isolate of Cordyceps pruinosa. As Cordyceps pruinosa is a good source of cordycepin and HEA, it could be used as an alternative to the over-collected Cordyceps sinensis.