Qingsong Qu

Drug delivery systems (DDSs) formed by natural active compounds be instrumental in developing new green excipients and novel DDS from natural active compounds (NACs). ‘Unification of medicines and ...

Aims The purpose of this study was to investigate the bacterial community of wild Cordyceps cicadae and explore its effect on the production of N6‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐adenosine (HEA) and three nucleosides in Cordyceps cicadae. Methods and results Illumina high‐throughput sequencing technology was used to analyse the bacterial community in wild Cordyceps cicadae. After Cordyceps cicadae was isolated and bacteria were isolated from wild Cordyceps cicadae, we identified four bacterial strains that independently altered HEA and nucleoside production in a coculture with Cordyceps cicadae and four bacteria separately. After cocultivation, the HEA yield from Cordyceps cicadae increased markedly. The bacteria in wild Cordyceps cicadae did not produce HEA, and the levels of three nucleosides decreased significantly. Both 16S rRNA and community analyses showed close evolutionary relationships and high abundance ratios for the 4 selected bacterial strains. Conclusions Some bacteria exist in wild Cordyceps cicadae and have a high abundance ratio. Moreover, the isolated bacteria inhibited the growth of Cordyceps cicadae and prevented the production of HEA in axenic cultures. Significance and impact of the study We discuss the bacterial community in wild Cordyceps cicadae and provide a new way to increase HEA production in Cordyceps cicadae by coculture with bacterial strains isolated from wild Cordyceps cicadae.