Cordyceps genus, such as C. militaris and C. kyushuensis, is a source of a rare traditional Chinese medicine that has been used for the treatment of numerous chronic and malignant diseases. Cordycepin, 3′-deoxyadenosine, is a major active compound found in most Cordyceps. Cordycepin exhibits a variety of biological activities, including anti-tumor, immunomodulation, antioxidant, and anti-aging, among others, which could be applied in health products, medicine, cosmeceutical etc. fields. This review focuses on the synthesis methods for cordycepin. The current methods for cordycepin synthesis involve chemical synthesis, microbial fermentation, in vitro synthesis and biosynthesis; however, some defects are unavoidable and the production is still far from the demand of cordycepin. For the future study of cordycepin synthesis, based on the illumination of cordycepin biosynthesis pathway, genetical engineering of the Cordyceps strain or introducing microbes by virtue of synthetic biology will be the great potential strategies for cordycepin synthesis. This review will aid the future synthesis of the valuable cordycepin.

冬虫夏草属，如C . militaris和C . 九州草是一种名贵中药，已被用于治疗多种慢性和恶性疾病。虫草素，3'-脱氧腺苷，是大多数虫草中发现的主要活性化合物。虫草素具有多种生物活性，包括抗肿瘤、免疫调节、抗氧化、抗衰老等，可应用于保健品、医药、药妆等领域。本综述重点介绍虫草素的合成方法。目前虫草素的合成方法有化学合成、微生物发酵、体外合成和生物合成；然而，一些缺陷是不可避免的，生产距离虫草素的需求还很远。对于未来虫草素合成的研究，基于虫草素生物合成途径的阐明，对虫草菌株进行基因工程或利用合成生物学引入微生物将是虫草素合成的巨大潜在策略。该综述将有助于未来合成有价值的虫草素。