NCIt definition : The triphosphate salt of cordycepin, a purine nucleoside antimetabolite and antibiotic
isolated from the fungus Cordyceps militaris with potential antineoplastic, antioxidant,
and anti-inflammatory activities. Cordycepin is an inhibitor of polyadenylation, activates
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and reduces mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)
signaling, which may result in both the induction of tumor cell apoptosis and a decrease
in tumor cell proliferation. mTOR, a serine/threonine kinase belonging to the phosphatidylinositol
3-kinase (PI3K)-related kinase (PIKK) family, plays an important role in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR
signaling pathway that regulates cell growth and proliferation, and its expression
or activity is frequently dysregulated in human cancers.;