Caterpillar Mushroom to Treat OA?

Scientists from the University of Nottingham are hoping that a drug from a parasitic mushroom that lives on caterpillars could be used to treat osteoarthritis (OA). The University of Nottingham researchers, led by Dr. Cornelia de Moor, say that this might occur within the next six years. Dr. de Moor and her team are investigating the possibility of using cordycepin—found in cordyceps mushrooms—as a painkiller.

“When we first started investigating this compound it was frankly a bit of a long-shot and there was much scepticism from the scientific community, ” Dr. de Moor said. “But we were stunned by the response from the pilot study, which showed that it was as effective as conventional painkillers in rats.

“This study is the first step in a potential drug development for a new class of drugs for osteoarthritis, although there are a number of hurdles we have to go through—necessarily so—before it gets nearer patients. To the best of our knowledge, cordycepin has never been tested as a lead compound for osteoarthritis pain.”

According to the news release, “Cordycepin blocks the inflammatory process that cause pain in osteoarthritis, but does so in a completely different way and at a different stage in the process to existing painkillers such as corticosteroids and non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen.”

“Dr. de Moor will investigate whether cordycepin acts on the knee joint or on the nerves that relay painful messages from the knee to the spinal cord, and the mechanism by which cordycepin inhibits pain.”

She adds, “The lack of quality control means that cordyceps preparations for sale in Europe rarely contain much cordycepin, and may contain other harmful compounds.”