Cordycepin as the main active ingredient of Cordyceps militaris, a traditional medicinal fungus in China, has many physiological functions such as anti-cancer, anti-tumor and anti-virus activity. The most potential route for effective cordycepin production has been considered as liquid fermentation of C. militaris though with low productivity at present. Thus, it is urgent to apply both process engineering strategy and metabolic engineering strategy to enhance the productivity of cordycepin. In this review, the effects of medium components (i.e. the carbon/nitrogen source, precursor substances and metal ions) and operation factors (i.e. pH, dissolved oxygen and light) on cordycepin biosynthesis in liquid fermentation system are summarized. Besides, separation of cordycepin, the gene cluster involved and predicted biosynthesis pathways of cordycepin are also discussed, providing possible solutions of finally realizing efficient production of cordycepin.
蛹虫草 Cordyceps militaris 是我国传统的药用真菌，虫草素是蛹虫草的主要活性成分，具有抗癌、抗肿瘤、抗病毒等多种生理功能。蛹虫草菌液体发酵是最有希望实现高效生产虫草素的途径，但现阶段生产强度低，亟需应用发酵工程及代谢工程手段提高虫草素产量。文中对液体发酵体系中培养基组分 (碳/氮源、前体物质、金属离子等) 和培养条件 (pH、溶氧量、光照等) 对虫草素产量的影响进行了总结，并对虫草素的分离纯化、生物合成基因簇及合成代谢途径进行了阐述，最后探讨了实现虫草素高效生产的关键环节。.
Keywords: Cordyceps militaris; biosynthesis pathway; cordycepin; efficient production; liquid fermentation.