Journal of Energy Bioscience 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 94-104 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/jeb 96 used to analyze the composition and connection of polysaccharides (Yu et al., 2009; Lee et al., 2010). These methods can help researchers understand how the polysaccharide chains are connected and whether there are branched structures. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) can be used to detect and quantitatively analyze phenolic acids, flavonoids, and other components in residues (Pintathong et al., 2021). Common antioxidant assays such as DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP tests are also employed to evaluate the free radical scavenging capacity of cordyceps extracts. 3 Drug Development Based on Cordyceps Residues 3.1 Application of polysaccharides in medicine The residues after processing Cordyceps militaris also contain some useful polysaccharides. These polysaccharides have good medicinal effects. Studies have found that polysaccharides (RPS) extracted from these residues are helpful in lowering blood lipids and protecting the liver. It can reduce fat levels in the blood and liver, and improve antioxidant capacity, which has a certain effect on treating lipid metabolism disorders and oxidative damage (Wang et al., 2015). The main components of this polysaccharide include glucose, arabinose and mannose, and the structural characteristics of these sugars may be related to its medicinal effects. These cordyceps polysaccharides can also regulate the immune system. They promote the production of cytokines and enhance immune responses, which may have therapeutic effects on some immune-related diseases. These polysaccharides can influence the activity of immune cells and regulate inflammatory responses, demonstrating certain medicinal value (Das et al., 2021). 3.2 Alkaloids and active ingredients drug development There are also many alkaloids and other active ingredients in Cordyceps, which are also meaningful for the development of new drugs. Cordycepin is a nucleoside substance that has been shown to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and immune-regulating effects (Qin et al., 2019; Sharma et al., 2022). Many studies are currently exploring how cordycepin binds to targets in the human body, and are also trying to increase its production through methods such as metabolic engineering (Sharma et al., 2022). In addition to cordycepin, researchers have also found that there are many other metabolites in Cordyceps, which also have medicinal potential, such as antibacterial, anti-apoptotic, and antioxidant effects (Table 1) (Krishna et al., 2023). If you want to use these ingredients in medicines, you need to further understand how they are synthesized and how they work specifically. 3.3 Innovative drug forms To better utilize the active ingredients in cordyceps residues, researchers are developing new drug forms such as sustained-release and controlled-release preparations. The advantages of these preparations are that they allow the drug to be more stable, easier to absorb, have a longer duration of action, and have fewer side effects. At the same time, new technologies such as CRISPR gene editing and ultraviolet mutagenesis are being used to modify cordyceps and increase the yield of important components such as cordycepin (Sharma et al., 2022). These methods can precisely adjust genes and change production environments. 4 Functional Foods and Health Products Based on Cordyceps Residues 4.1 Nutritional effects of polysaccharides and proteins Polysaccharides fromCordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris have been shown to be beneficial to the human body. These polysaccharides have antioxidant, immune-enhancing, and tumor cell-suppressing activities and are often used as raw materials for functional foods (Bi et al., 2018; Zhang et al., 2020; Shashidhar et al., 2021). Polysaccharides from Cordyceps militaris can activate macrophages and promote the secretion of cytokines (Zhang et al., 2020). They can also improve intestinal flora, lower blood sugar levels, and help maintain metabolic balance (Lee et al., 2021).
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