Comparisons on enhancing the immunity of fresh and dry Cordyceps militaris in vivo and in vitro

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The immunomodulatory capacities of fresh Cordyceps militaris (FCM) and dry Cordyceps militaris (DCM) were compared. Materials and methods: In vivo immunomodulatory assay, different doses of FCM and DCM were orally administrated over a period of 15 days in a cyclophosphamide (CY) induced immunosuppression mice; in vitro testing, the spleen cells were extracted from healthy mice and treaded with CV, then cultured with different dose of FCM or DCM; the contents of Cordyceps militaris polysaccharide (CMP), cordycepin, adenosine, total polyphenol (TP) and total flavonoids (TF) in FCM and DCM were measured. Results: Our studys indicated that, FCM was significantly stronger than DCM on increasing the spleen and thymus indexes, spleen lymphocyte activity, macrophage function, and promoting the levels of IL-2, IFN-gamma in vivo and in vitro. The contents of immunomodulatory CMP and TF in FCM were markedly higher than in DCM. Conclusion: All these results suggested that FCM was superior to DCM on enhancing immunity. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.