Cordycepin is a nucleoside analog, which means it’s structurally similar to the building blocks of our DNA. Imagine it as a puzzle piece that fits into the DNA structure, but it’s slightly different. Because of this difference, when cordycepin gets incorporated into the DNA sequence during the process of gene transcription, it causes a premature termination of the process. This can potentially slow down or stop the growth of rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells. It’s like a speed bump on a fast highway, slowing everything down.
