Comparison of cultivated Cordyceps militaris and wild Ophiocordyceps sinensis using high-performance thin-layer chromatography

Cordyceps, a fungus from the ‘Clavicipitaceae’ family, has long been utilised in traditional Chinese medicine as a rare and prized mushroom. Among 750 known species, two noteworthy species within the genus are Ophiocordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris. Among the active components generated by this genus, cordycepin and adenosine are particularly significant and exhibit various pharmacological properties. To evaluate and compare the concentrations of cordycepin and adenosine, high-performance thin-layer chromatography profiling was employed on lab-grown C. militaris and wild O. sinensis. Water and ethanol were utilised to extract the nucleosides. The concentrations of these nucleosides from different samples were calculated by using Rf (Retention factor) values of both cordycepin and adenosine standards. Interestingly, the fruiting bodies of C. militaris obtained through solid-state fermentation exhibited a higher cordycepin content (12.3 mg/g) compared to biomass obtained via liquid static culture. In the case of O. sinensis, cordycepin was found to be absent, with only adenosine (approximately 0.81 mg/g) being quantified.