Cordyceps militaris (C. militaris) has various biomedical applications in traditional oriental medicine for different diseases including inflammatory and immune-dysregulated diseases. It is a reservoir of nutritional components such as cordycepin, polysaccharides, and antioxidants. To improve its bioactivity, we fermented C. militaris with a Pediococcus pentosaceus strain isolated from a salted small octopus (SC11). The current study aimed to evaluate whether P. pentosaceus (SC11) fermentation could enhance the anti-allergic potential of C. militaris cultured on germinated Rhynchosia nulubilis (GRC) against a type I hypersensitive reaction in in vitro and in vivo studies. Total antioxidant capacity and cordycepin content were significantly increased in GRC after SC11 fermentation. GRC-SC11 showed significantly enhanced anti-allergic responses by inhibiting immunoglobulin E (IgE)/antigen-induced degranulation in RBL-2H3 cells, compared to GRC. The results demonstrated the significant inhibition of phosphorylated spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk)/ p38/GRB2-associated binding protein 2 (Gab2)/c-jun in IgE/Ag-triggered RBL-2H3 cells. Furthermore, suppressed mRNA levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in IgE/Ag-activated RBL-2H3 cells were observed. GRC-SC11 significantly ameliorated IgE-induced allergic reactions by suppressing the ear swelling, vascular permeability, and inflammatory cell infiltration in passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) BALB/c mice. In conclusion, GRC fermented with P.pentosaceus exerted enhanced anti-allergic effects, and increased the cordycepin content and antioxidants potential compared to GRC. It can be used as bio-functional food in the prevention and management of type I allergic diseases.
Keywords: Cordyceps militaris; anti-allergy; fermentation.