Ouafa Rebai^1,, Nesrine Ouda Amari¹, Fatiha Missoun¹

Cordyceps militaris is one of the most well known medicinal entomopathogenic fungi and as such has been widely used for the treatment of various diseases. However, the pharmacological and biochemical activities of C. militaris have not been clearly elucidated. The evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity of C. militaris was performed by the test for plantar edema induced by injection of carrageenan in mice. The percentage inhibition of edema and the percentage increase in paw edema volume were then evaluated. Wound healing effect of C. militaris extract was studied on an excision wound model in rats. Changes in wound area were measured regularly and the rate of wound contraction calculated, then the histopathological recovery was evaluated. The results in all animals were not shown signs of toxic effects, moribund, and mortality. Oral administration of C. militaris extract reduced significantly after 2 hours the paw edema induced by carrageenan in mice (8.96±2.83%, 6.25±2.70% and 4.92±2.22 % at doses of 100, 200 and 300mg/kg BW respectively); the histological study confirmed the decrease in inflammatory response. Topical application of C. militaris ointments at 5% and 10% showed an enhance rate of contraction and significantly decreased wound area than control group. With histological evidence of more collagen formation in the skin and early epithelization period with low scar area. C. militaris mushrooms definitely deserve to be considered as functional foods and also have great potential for medicinal use.

Cordyceps militaris, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, mice, rat