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International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms

ISSN for PRINT: 1521-9437

Institutional price:	$538.00
Issues per year:	4

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2008, Volume10

104 pages

DOI: 10.1615/IntJMedMushr.v10.i1

Issue price - $161.00

HPLC Levels of Adenosine in Awheto—Indigenous New Zealand Cordyceps robertsii Hooker (Ascomycetes)

Stephen Tauwhare
Industrial Research Limited, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

Kevin Mitchell
Industrial Research Limited, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Cordyceps spp. (Clavicipitaceae) are well-known medicinal mushrooms used traditionally by indigenous and local communities throughout the world for the treatment of various ailments. Cordyceps robertsii has been used (as a part of awheto) by the Maori people as food and in traditional Maori tattoo, or ta-moko; and there is some evidence of traditional rongoa (medicinal) use. There is only limited scientific evidence of their bioactivity and potential for use in this area. This research aims to identify and quantify adenosine and cordycepin in C. robertsii from New Zealand by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We can report the presence of adenosine and that the level of this nucleoside in C. robertsii is at least comparable to that found in C. sinensis. The research also demonstrates that the presence of adenosine in C. robertsii varies, depending on factors including environment, climate, host organism, and nutrition. We can also report the absence of cordycepin in C. robertsii.