Formation of Biologically Active Compounds by Siberian Cordyceps militaris (L.) Fr. Strains

Fungal strains isolated in the Krasnoyarsk Territory from dead caterpillars of the Siberian silkworm Dendrolimus sibiricus Tschetverikov, found in the litter and crown of Abies sibirica Ledeb., were assigned to the species Cordyceps militaris (L.) Fr., based on morphological and genetic methods. The strains were highly active producers of such bioactive compounds as polysaccharides (PS), adenosine, and cordysinin B. Cordysinin B has not been previously reported in the species C. militaris. It was found that PS production was more influenced by the method of fungal cultivation than by the carbon substrate. The highest production of PS (6.0–6.7 g/L) and nucleosides (390 mg/L) by C. militaris 11-5 was observed during submerged cultivation on sucrose using abiopeptide. When studying the biosynthesis of PS during growth of the fungus, it was found that the synthesized PSs were consumed by the culture when the concentration of the carbon substrate in the medium decreased and apparently served as reserve sources of carbon.