ArticleCell chemical biology2020
Mechanism of Activation of AMPK by Cordycepin.
Article in Cell chemical biology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review of the Biological Effects of Cordycepin.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Pooled it
- AICAr, a Widely Used AMPK Activator with Important AMPK-Independent Effects: A Systematic Review.Cells · 2021Pooled it
- Acute Cordyceps militaris supplementation and elevated resting oxygen uptake with faster reaction times: A randomized crossover trial.PloS one · 2026Trial
- Next-Generation Adaptogens: Molecular Mechanisms, Bioactive Compounds and Human Health Relevance of Selected Botanicals and Fungi.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Cordycepin Alleviates Acute Lung Injury by Targeting TAK1 to Inhibit MAPK and NF-κB Signaling Pathways.Biomolecules · 2026Article
- Transcriptional activity during seed imbibition is conserved, robust and required for germination.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Review
- Cordycepin alleviates nicotine withdrawal-induced anxietyDrug and alcohol dependence reports · 2026Article
- Cordycepin Ameliorates Constant Light-Induced Thermogenic Dysfunction in Brown Adipose Tissue by Activating SIRT1-Mediated Mitochondrial Homeostasis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Pleiotropic Bioactivity of Caterpillar Fungus, Orange Cordyceps, and Cordycepin: Insight from Integrated Network Pharmacology and Food and Drug Regulatory Framework.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The Inclusion of Dietary and Medicinal Mushrooms into Translational Oncology: Pros and Cons at the Molecular Level.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Immune crosstalk in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease: insights from Drosophila models into the brain-peripheral immune axis.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Effect of Wheat Flour Substitution with Medicinal Mushroom Powder on Protein and Starch Digestibility and Functional Properties of Bread.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis reveals stage-associated molecular profiles in Ophiocordyceps sinensis.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Cordycepin generally inhibits growth factor signal transduction in a systems pharmacology study.FEBS letters · 2025Article
- Integrating network pharmacology, quantitative transcriptomic analysis, and experimental validation revealed the mechanism of cordycepin in the treatment of obesity.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Alanine supplementation enhancing cordycepin production in Cordyceps militaris via upregulation of Cns2 and Cns3 genes expression levels.Journal of food and drug analysis · 2024Article
- The metabolic sensor AMPK: Twelve enzymes in one.Molecular metabolism · 2024Review
- Targeting protein homeostasis with small molecules as a strategy for the development of pan-coronavirus antiviral therapies.Communications biology · 2024Article
- Bone marrow stromal cells enhance differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia induced by pyrimidine synthesis inhibitors.American journal of physiology. Cell physiology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine) is a major bioactive agent in Cordyceps militaris, a fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine. It has been proposed to have many beneficial metabolic effects by activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), but the mechanism of activation remained uncertain. We report that cordycepin enters cells via adenosine transporters and is converted by cellular metabolism into mono-, di-, and triphosphates, which at high cordycepin concentrations can almost replace cellular adenine nucleotides. AMPK activation by cordycepin in intact cells correlates with the content of cordycepin monophosphate and not other cordycepin or adenine nucleotides. Genetic knockout of AMPK sensitizes cells to the cytotoxic effects of cordycepin. In cell-free assays, cordycepin monophosphate mimics all three effects of AMP on AMPK, while activation in cells is blocked by a γ-subunit mutation that prevents activation by AMP. Thus, cordycepin is a pro-drug that activates AMPK by being converted by cellular metabolism into the AMP analog cordycepin monophosphate.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.