Comparison of bioactive constituents and effects on gut microbiota by in vitro fermentation between Ophicordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris

Various traditional edible fungi were demonstrated to modulate gut microbiota. In this study, H-1 NMR and high-throughput sequencing were used to investigate the difference of microecology modulating function between Ophicordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris. The data showed that total 7 constituents (glucose, mannitol, trehalose, aspartate, glutamate, lysine, threonine) were selected as potential biomarkers to identify O. sinensis and C. militaris based on H-1 NMR. After in vitro fermentation, both O. sinensis and C. militaris modulated gut microbiota composition, via decreasing the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. However, O. sinensis could significantly decreased the pH and stimulated the production of short-chain fatty acids versus C. militaris. O. sinensis also increased the relative abundance of probiotics including Phascolarctobacterium and Bifidobacterium. In general, the results suggested that O. sinensis had more positive effects on gut microbiota compared with C. militaris, which was conducive to the development of functional products of traditional edible fungi.