Toothpaste is one of the most commonly used oral care products in daily life, essential for maintaining oral hygiene. Proper brushing with toothpaste is one of the most basic and effective methods to prevent oral issues and maintain oral health. With the advancement of technology, the variety of toothpastes and their added active ingredients have gradually increased. Cordyceps Extract, known for its immune-regulating, antibacterial, anti-tumor, and antioxidant properties, has been widely applied in food, health products, and pharmaceuticals. Although its application in the daily chemical industry has expanded, its use in toothpaste remains relatively underdeveloped. Therefore, the development and application of Cordyceps Extract in oral care products hold significant potential for diversifying the market, advancing functional toothpaste, and improving oral health.
Overview of Cordyceps
Cordyceps refers to a fungus-insect complex where the fungus infects insects and grows from their heads or bodies. In the classification system, Cordyceps belongs to the kingdom Fungi, phylum Ascomycota, class Sordariomycetes, subclass Hypocreomycetidae, order Hypocreales, family Clavicipitaceae, and genus Cordyceps. Among Cordyceps, Cordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris are well-known for their applications in medicine, food, and cosmetics. Due to the limited availability and high cost of wild Cordyceps sinensis, researchers have developed fermented Cordyceps mycelium powder as a substitute.
Cordyceps sinensis, a prized traditional Chinese medicinal herb, is a dried complex of the fungus Cordyceps sinensis parasitizing the larvae of the Hepialidae family of insects. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Cordyceps sinensis has a mild, slightly fishy odor, a slightly bitter taste, and is sweet and neutral in nature. It is believed to nourish the lungs and kidneys, and has expectorant and hemostatic properties. The main active components contributing to its physiological and medicinal effects include Cordyceps polysaccharides, Cordycepic acid, nucleosides, and sterols.
A commonly confused Cordyceps extract on the market is Cordyceps militaris. Also known as Northern Cordyceps or simply Cordyceps, Cordyceps militaris is a fungus from the same family as Cordyceps sinensis. It is a commonly cultivated medicinal and edible fungus, rich in active substances such as Cordyceps polysaccharides, Cordycepin, nucleosides, peptides, and sterols. These substances contribute to its immune-regulating, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-tumor, and neuroprotective effects. Numerous studies have shown that Cordyceps militaris has similar pharmacological activities to Cordyceps sinensis, making it an ideal, cost-effective substitute.
Key Active Components of Cordyceps Extract
● Cordycepic Acid:Also known as D-mannitol, Cordycepic acid has diuretic, anti-asthmatic, expectorant, and free radical scavenging effects. The content of Cordycepic acid varies depending on the origin, measurement methods, and extraction methods of Cordyceps. Cordycepic acid is most concentrated in Cordyceps sinensis during its growth stages, particularly when the length of the stroma is between 4-6 cm, with concentrations reaching 9.56%-12.84%, more than twice that of other Cordyceps species.
● Nucleosides:
○Cordycepin: First identified in Cordyceps militaris in 1951, Cordycepin exhibits anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties.
○ Adenosine: A key active component in Cordyceps species, adenosine is the only marker compound used for content determination of Cordyceps sinensis in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 edition), with a required content of no less than 0.010%.
● Cordyceps Polysaccharides: These are the most abundant pharmacologically active substances in Cordyceps, with immunoregulatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, and blood sugar and lipid-lowering properties, showing potential therapeutic effects on diseases related to the respiratory, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems.
Applications of Cordyceps Extract in the Daily Chemical Industry
● Skin Whitening: Studies using mushroom tyrosinase activity inhibition assays and melanin synthesis inhibition tests on mouse melanoma cells (B16-F10) have demonstrated that Cordyceps sinensis extract (at concentrations of 40-200 mg/mL) dose-dependently inhibits mushroom tyrosinase activity and significantly suppresses melanin synthesis in B16-F10 cells at safe concentrations (0.1-0.5 mg/mL). These findings suggest that the skin-whitening effect of Cordyceps sinensis extract may be achieved by inhibiting the activity of melanin synthesis-related enzymes.
● Anti-Radiation: Cordyceps sinensis exhibits significant antioxidant properties by scavenging free radicals. It also repairs UVB-induced oxidative damage by enhancing superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Similarly, Cordyceps militaris has been shown to increase SOD activity and decrease MDA content in fruit flies.
● Anti-Wrinkle: Cordyceps sinensis extract and peptides have been used as key active ingredients in anti-wrinkle eye creams. In a trial involving 33 healthy volunteers, the use of anti-wrinkle eye cream for six weeks significantly improved skin hydration, elasticity, and reduced the appearance of wrinkles around the eyes.
Applications of Cordyceps Extract in Oral Health
● Prevention of Oral Cancer: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for over 90% of all oral cancer cases. Cordycepin may inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OSCC cells by upregulating the expression of miRNA-524-5p. Various concentrations of Cordycepin significantly increased the inhibition rate of cell proliferation, reduced the number of migratory and invasive cells, and lowered the levels of CyclinD1, MMP-2, and MMP-9 proteins, while increasing p21, E-cadherin protein levels, and miRNA-524-5p expression. Cordycepin can elevate autophagy levels in OSCC and inhibit cell proliferation while promoting apoptosis, possibly by downregulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.
● Prevention of Oral Inflammation: Cordycepin in Cordyceps extracts can inhibit and alleviate inflammatory responses through various pathways. Cordycepin has been shown to inhibit acute paw inflammation induced by adjuvants in mice, likely by downregulating inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, reducing inflammatory cell infiltration, inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor release at the inflammation site, and decreasing the immune organ index of the inflamed mice. Adding Cordyceps extract to toothpaste can help maintain gum health and, when combined with other extracts like Zanthoxylum and wild chrysanthemum, it can better prevent periodontitis, gum bleeding, and other oral problems. Given that most studies attribute the anti-inflammatory effects to Cordycepin, it is essential to monitor the Cordycepin content in Cordyceps extracts used in toothpaste.
● Inhibition of Oral Bacteria: Antibacterial tests using Paecilomyces hepiali isolated from Cordyceps sinensis collected in Yunnan province have shown that water extracts of this fungus display moderate to high antibacterial activity against 17 out of 26 tested pathogenic indicator bacteria. Cordyceps militaris extracts contain various antibacterial substances that are more effective against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria.
For more details about Botaniex’s Cordyceps Extract, please visit https://www.botaniex.com/cordyceps-sinensis-extract.html .
