| effects of the turkish subspecies of viscum album on macrophage-derived cytokines. | viscum album l. herbs are used for the treatment of various diseases. apart from their immunostimulatory, antitumor, and hypotension inducing activities, anti-inflammatory effects has also been recorded in the literature. since the immunostimulatory activity of mistletoe is mainly attributed to a stimulation of the mononuclear phagocytic system and to an induction of inflammation by macrophage-derived cytokines, utilization based on anti-inflammatory activity seems in contrast with its use as im ... | 1998 | 9705010 |
| prophylactic effect of korean mistletoe (viscum album coloratum) extract on tumor metastasis is mediated by enhancement of nk cell activity. | we here demonstrated the prophylactic effect of an extract (km-110) from viscum album coloratum, a korean mistletoe, on tumor metastasis produced by highly metastatic tumor cells, colon 26-m3.1 carcinoma, b16-bl6 melanoma and l5178y-ml25 lymphoma cells, using experimental models in mice. intravenous (i.v.) administration of km-110 (100 microg/mouse) 2 days before tumor inoculation significantly inhibited lung metastasis of b16-bl6 and colon 26-m3.1 cells, and liver and spleen metastasis of l5178 ... | 1998 | 9730252 |
| formation of lactose-resistant aggregates of human platelets induced by the mistletoe lectin and differential signaling responses to cell contact formation by the lectin or thrombin. | human platelets afford a suitable and physiologically relevant model to study receptor-dependent cell aggregation and ensuing biosignaling reactions. since cell surface glycoconjugates can serve as ligands in recognitive protein--carbohydrate interactions, it is of interest to investigate the reactivity of such epitopes for a plant lectin and the elicited intracellular responses. therefore, the galactose-specific lectin (viscum album agglutinin, vaa) was employed as a tool for this purpose. it w ... | 1998 | 9632885 |
| modification of the functional activity of neutrophils treated with acute phase response proteins. | the effects of alpha1-acidic glycoprotein (agp) and its subfractions (glycoforms) with different affinity for concanavalin a on generation of h2o2 by human neutrophils exposed to stimulators of different nature, namely, galactose-specific mistletoe (viscum album) lectin (vaa), digitonin, and n-formyl-met-leu-phe, a chemotactic peptide (fmlp), were studied. within the concentration range of 13-500 microgram/ml, agp and its glycoforms produced dose-dependent inhibition of digitonin-induced cell re ... | 1998 | 9632890 |
| inability of galactoside-specific mistletoe lectin to inhibit n-methyl-n-nitrosourea-induced tumor development in the urinary bladder of rats and to mediate a local cellular immune response after long-term administration. | extracts from mistletoe (viscum album l.) are assumed to exert an antineoplastic activity through their toxicity at high doses or by immunomodulation by nanogram quantities of a lectin. they are used as an unconventional therapy modality in the management of a wide range of cancer diseases, although no anticancer potential has yet been demonstrated. this prompted us to study the effect of galactoside-specific lectin (vaa)--a major protein constituent of mistletoe with immunomodulatory properties ... | 1998 | 9654190 |
| induction of apoptosis by the n-acetyl-galactosamine-specific toxic lectin from viscum album l. is associated with a decrease of nuclear p53 and bcl-2 proteins and induction of telomeric associations. | the ribosome-inhibiting proteins from viscum album l., i.e. the mistletoe lectins (ml), were recognized to induce apoptosis in various tumour cell lines and human lymphocytes. however, several aspects of ml-induced cell death are unclear. we report that the galnac-binding ml iii incubated with human lymphocytes mediates a very effective death signal resulting in the binding of annexin-v and expression of mitochondrial membrane proteins apo2.7, but also in an influx of the dna intercalating dye p ... | 1998 | 9751257 |
| effects of mistletoe lectin i and ionizing radiation on the glucose and thymidine uptake in tumour cells in vitro. | the increased uptake of hexose by mammalian cells is considered to be a general response to stress. nowadays, mistletoe lectin separated from the extracts of the european mistletoe (viscum album l.) is often used in adjuvant cancer therapy. the present work studies the effect of the lectin on unirradiated and x-irradiated tumour cells. the response of cultured human lung carcinoma cells (calu-1) was followed by radioactive glucose uptake as well as by tritiated thymidine incorporation. the cells ... | 1999 | 10594933 |
| influence of polysaccharides from viscum album l. on human lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes in vitro. | an acidic arabinogalactan from european mistletoe (viscum album l, val; 1.34 x 10(6) dalton) was studied in detail because its immunological properties are poorly characterised. | 1999 | 10628330 |
| viscotoxin-free aqueous extracts from european mistletoe (viscum album l.) stimulate activity of human granulocytes. | extracts from european mistletoe (viscum album l., val) are used for complementary cancer treatment. viscotoxins (vt) and whole plant extracts with high amounts of the vt have been shown to stimulate functional activity of granulocytes. | 1999 | 10652574 |
| differential binding of toxic lectins from viscum album l., ml i and ml iii, to human lymphocytes. | the killing capacity of extracts from viscum album l., widely used as an adjuvant in complementary cancer therapy, is dependent on the content of toxic proteins, especially the mistletoe lectins (ml). although one may expect a homogeneous distribution of 'receptors' for these proteins on the cell surface, the sensitivity of cells to the ml-mediated cytotoxicity obviously differs, as the galnac-binding ml iii in contrast to the gal-binding ml i selectively killed cd8+ lymphocytes with a 'memory' ... | 1999 | 10697516 |
| long-term administration of galactoside-specific mistletoe lectin in an animal model: no protection against n-butyl-n-(4-hydroxybutyl)-nitrosamine-induced urinary bladder carcinogenesis in rats and no induction of a relevant local cellular immune response. | aqueous extracts from leaves of the european mistletoe (viscum album l.) are postulated to exert an anticancer efficacy by cytotoxic and/or immunological mechanisms of action. although popular as an unconventional therapy modality, no controlled randomized clinical trials are available, reliably documenting a clinically beneficial antineoplastic potential of the various commercial mistletoe preparations. since previous investigations have focused on the purified galactoside-specific lectin (visc ... | 2000 | 10741906 |
| detection of inflammation- and neoplasia-associated alterations in human large intestine using plant/invertebrate lectins, galectin-1 and neoglycoproteins. | commonly, plant and invertebrate lectins are accepted glycohistochemical tools for the analysis of normal and altered structures of glycans in histology and pathology. mammalian lectins and neoglycoproteins are recent additions to this panel for the detection of lectin-reactive carbohydrate epitopes and glycoligand-binding sites. the binding profiles of these three types of probes were comparatively analyzed in normal, inflamed and neoplastic large intestine. in normal colonic mucosa the intrace ... | 1998 | 9780361 |
| selective modulation of phosphatidylserine exposure on subpopulations of human peripheral blood lymphocytes by a plant lectin, viscum album agglutinin (vaa)-i and its recombinant form (rvaa) in vitro. | growing evidence suggests that lectin-carbohydrate interactions are involved in the regulation of the balance between cell growth and programmed cell death. viscum album agglutinin (vaa)-i is a galactoside-specific, type ii ribosome-inactivating plant lectin. at concentrations less than 10 ng/ml, vaa-i has been shown to induce gene expression and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines as well as apoptosis in cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc). this study analyzes the eff ... | 1999 | 10571662 |
| protein kinase a or c modulates the apoptosis induced by lectin ii isolated from korean mistletoe, viscum album var. coloratum, in the human leukemic hl-60 cells. | mistletoe lectins (mls) are increasingly used as an anticancer drug in the treatment of human tumors. the cytotoxic activity of mls against tumor cells is due to programmed cell death (apoptosis). the up- or down-regulation of protein kinase a (pka) or c (pkc) is known to be associated with the regulation of drug-induced apoptosis. previously, we isolated cytotoxic mlii from the extract of korean mistletoe (viscum album var. coloratum) and characterized its biochemical properties. the present st ... | 2000 | 10952032 |
| microcalorimetric indications for ligand binding as a function of the protein for galactoside-specific plant and avian lectins. | the process cascade leading to the final accommodation of the carbohydrate ligand in the lectin's binding site comprises enthalpic and entropic contributions of the binding partners and solvent molecules. with emphasis on lactose, n-acetyllactosamine, and thiodigalactoside as potent inhibitors of binding of galactoside-specific lectins, the question was addressed to what extent these parameters are affected as a function of the protein. the microcalorimetric study of carbohydrate association to ... | 1999 | 10572940 |
| an enzyme-linked lectin assay for alpha1,3-galactosyltransferase. | udp-gal:galbeta1-4glcnac alpha1,3-galactosyltransferase (alpha3galt) is responsible for the synthesis of carbohydrate xenoantigen galalpha1-3galbeta1-4glcnac. in this work a convenient and sensitive assay system for quantification of alpha3galt activity by enzyme-linked lectin assay (ella) with colorimetric detection is described. microtiter plate wells whose surface had been coated with the polyacrylamide conjugate of the disaccharide galbeta1-4glcnac (acceptor) are incubated with alpha3galt in ... | 2000 | 10790307 |
| activation of c-jun n-terminal kinase 1 (jnk1) in mistletoe lectin ii-induced apoptosis of human myeloleukemic u937 cells. | extracts of mistletoe (viscum album var. coloratum) have been used for several decades as an anticancer immunomodulating agent in clinical fields. however, the mechanism by which the plant extracts kill tumor cells has remained elusive. we investigated the direct effects of beta-galactoside- and n-acetyl-d-galactosamine-specific mistletoe lectin ii in inducing apoptotic death of u937 cells. three distinct components of mistletoe, including beta-galactoside- and n-acetyl-d-galactosamine-specific ... | 2000 | 11077051 |
| activation of human neutrophils by the plant lectin viscum album agglutinin-i: modulation of de novo protein synthesis and evidence that caspases are involved in induction of apoptosis. | the plant lectin viscum album agglutinin-i (vaa-i) was recently found to modulate protein synthesis and to induce apoptosis in various cells of immune origin. we found that vaa-i induces de novo protein synthesis of metabolically 35s-labeled human neutrophils when used at low concentrations (< 100 ng/ml) but acts as an inhibitor at higher concentrations. using both flow cytometry (fitc-annexin-v/pi labeling) and cytology (diff-quick staining) approaches, we found that vaa-i could not modulate ne ... | 2000 | 11129652 |
| differences in zero-force and force-driven kinetics of ligand dissociation from beta-galactoside-specific proteins (plant and animal lectins, immunoglobulin g) monitored by plasmon resonance and dynamic single molecule force microscopy. | protein-carbohydrate interactions are involved in diverse regulatory processes. to help understand the mechanics and kinetics of dissociation of receptor-ligand complexes, we have analyzed the separation of lactose and the n-glycan chains of asialofetuin (asf) from three lectins and an immunoglobulin g fraction by surface plasmon resonance at zero force and by atomic force microscopy with variations of the external force. while the (ab)2 agglutinins from ricinus communis (rca) and viscum album ( ... | 2000 | 11185549 |
| no evidence of ifn-gamma increase in the serum of hiv-positive and healthy subjects after subcutaneous injection of a non-fermented viscum album l. extract. | iscador, an aqueous extract of viscum album l., has been used for more than 80 years as an anticancer drug. due to its immunomodulatory potential, since the onset of the aids epidemic it has also been applied in the treatment of hiv-positive and aids patients in the form of the preparation v. album qufrf (vaqufrf; labor hiscia, arlesheim, switzerland). in in vitro investigations, incubation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with v. album l. extracts resulted in stimulation of lymphocyte acti ... | 1998 | 10366786 |
| heat shock treatment protects human hl-60 cells from apoptosis induced by lectin ii isolated from korean mistletoe, visum album var. coloratum. | mistletoe lectin ii (ml ii) isolated from korean mistletoe (viscum album var. coloratum), an effective therapeutic agent for cancers, is known to induce cell death via apoptosis. in the present study, we found the protective effect of heat shock treatment of human leukemia hl-60 cells against ml ii-induced apoptosis. exposure of hl-60 cells to ml ii for 4 h resulted in apoptosis of the cells, which was evaluated by examining "dna ladder" formation and dna fragmentation assay. the dna fragmentati ... | 2000 | 10952029 |
| genetic evidence for host specificity in the hemi-parasitic viscum album l. (viscaceae). | nuclear ribosomal dna (nrdna) its sequences and partial sequences of three non-coding chloroplast dna (cpdna) introns and spacers were used to assess genetic variation within and among three presumed host races of the hemi-parasite viscum album l. currently, identification of host races occurs via the host trees, and morphological differences are minute at best. cpdna and nrdna its sequences revealed little sequence variation, but the variation found consistently supported the distinction of thr ... | 2000 | 10964226 |
| induction of mitochondrial apo2.7 molecules and generation of reactive oxygen-intermediates in cultured lymphocytes by the toxic proteins from viscum album l. | we analysed mitochondrial alterations in human lymphocytes incubated with toxins exerting rna and/or protein synthesis/transport inhibitory activity. we found that all toxins known to affect macromolecule synthesis, such as ricin from ricinus communis, mistletoe lectin i (ml i) from viscum album, cycloheximide, actinomycin d, and brefeldin a but also the thionins from viscum album (viscotoxins; vt) generated reactive oxygen intermediates (roi) and induced expression of newly described mitochondr ... | 1999 | 10408913 |
| ligands for viscum album agglutinin and galectin-1 in human lung cancer: is there any prognostic relevance? | viscum album agglutinin (vaa) is an extract component of mistletoe. it belongs to the plant lectin family and exerts various biological effects such as cytotoxic properties for tumor cells in culture. vaa as well as galectin-1, an endogenous lectin, possess galactose-specific surface-binding sites. we therefore investigated 159 cases of lung cancer for their capacity to bind vaa and galectin-1 and for lewis antigen reactivity. three different methods were used for detection of vaa: a two-step me ... | 1999 | 10443287 |
| dissection of the impact of various intracellular signaling pathways on stable cell aggregate formation of rat thymocytes after initial lectin-dependent cell association of using a plant lectin as model and target-selective inhibitors. | bivalent lectins as bridging molecules between cells or cell surface lectins as docking points are involved in mediation of cell adhesion by specific recognition of suitable glycoconjugates on an opposing surface. the initial contact formation by a lectin can lead to intracellular post-binding events which effect stable cell association even in the presence of the haptenic sugar. to delineate the participation of intracellular signaling pathways in the cascade of reactions to establish firm asso ... | 1999 | 10485333 |
| therapeutic applications of medicinal plants in the treatment of breast cancer: a review of their pharmacology, efficacy and tolerability. | various active compounds (or their semi-synthetic derivatives) derived from medicinal plants have been assessed for their efficacy and tolerability in the treatment of breast cancer. some of these plant species, including taxus baccata (paclitaxel, docetaxel), podophyllum peltatum (etoposide), camptotheca acuminata (camptothecin) and vinca rosea (vinblastine, vinorelbine) have well recognized antitumour activity in breast cancer, and have been evaluated in clinical trials. for example, results f ... | 2000 | 11059361 |
| tolerability of an extract of european mistletoe among immunocompromised and healthy individuals. | european mistletoe (viscum album l) has been used parenterally for more than 80 years as an anticancer medication with significant immunomodulating action. since 1984, clinical experience with a viscum album extract (viscum album quercus frischsaft [qu frf]) among hiv-positive patients has suggested that it inhibits hiv disease progression. | 1999 | 10550904 |
| in vivo gastroprotective effects of five turkish folk remedies against ethanol-induced lesions. | through evaluation of the data accumulated in data bank of turkish folk remedies (tuhib), five plant remedies, which are used to treat stomach ache were selected to test for their anti-ulcerogenic potency. in order to confirm the claimed activities, either decoction or methanol extracts were prepared from the roots of asphodelus aestivus and cichorium intybus, herbs of equisetum palustre and viscum album ssp. album and fruits of laurus nobilis, according to their folkloric application way and te ... | 2002 | 12426092 |
| activation of caspase cascades in korean mistletoe (viscum album var. coloratum) lectin-ii-induced apoptosis of human myeloleukemic u937 cells. | mistletoe lectins are of high biological activity and exert cytotoxic effects. we have previously shown that korean mistletoe, viscum album var. coloratum, lectin-ii specifically induces apoptotic cell death in cancer cells, not normal lymphocytes. the destructive mechanism by mistletoe lectins on tumor cells was mediated by activation of c-jun n-terminal kinase (jnk)/stress-activated protein kinase. herein, we investigated the involvement of caspase cascade and its proteolytic cleavage effects ... | 2000 | 11368891 |
| thionins from viscum album l: influence of the viscotoxins on the activation of granulocytes. | extracts from european mistletoe (viscum album l.) are applied in adjuvant cancer treatment, and some components, especially the mistletoe lectins (ml) have been immunologically characterised, but not the thionins, termed viscotoxins (vt). | 1999 | 10368652 |
| [mistletoe therapy from the pharmacologic perspective]. | because of their cytostatic/apoptotic and immunomodulatory effects mistletoe extracts are often applied in tumour patients. recent experimental data suggest that the mistletoe lectins viscum album agglutinin (vaa)-i and -ii are play an important role in the efficacy of mistletoe therapy. vaa-i and -ii are members of the type-ii ribosome-inactivating proteins. vaa-i has been shown to induce cytostatic effects in cultures of various eukaryotic cells in vitro. in 24-hour cultures of human periphera ... | 1999 | 10529578 |
| use of iscador, an extract of european mistletoe (viscum album), in cancer treatment: prospective nonrandomized and randomized matched-pair studies nested within a cohort study. | in anthroposophical medicine, total extracts of viscum album (mistletoe) have been developed to treat cancer patients. the oldest such product is iscador. although iscador is regarded as a complementary cancer therapy, it is the most commonly used oncological drug in germany. | 2001 | 11347286 |
| immunotherapy of c3h/hej mammary adenocarcinoma with interleukin-2, mistletoe lectin or their combination. effects on tumour growth, capillary leakage and nitric oxide (no) production. | clinical application of interleukin (il)-2-based immunotherapy of cancer has been limited by a major side-effect known as 'capillary leak syndrome', resulting from nitric oxide (no) overproduction. a galactoside-specific lectin from viscum album l. (vaa) has been reported to induce certain lymphokines and upregulate il-2 receptors on lymphocytes. present study was, therefore, designed to compare the effects of combination therapy with il-2 (10(4) cetus units/mouse, intraperitoneal (i.p). every 8 ... | 2001 | 11576848 |
| modulation of interleukin-15-induced human neutrophil responses by the plant lectin viscum album agglutinin-i. | the plant lectin viscum album agglutinin-i (vaa-i) and the interleukin-15 (il-15) cytokine are two molecules with potential therapeutic properties known to modulate neutrophil functions when used separately. this study was conducted in order to better understand the mode of action of vaa-i and to elucidate how vaa-i could modulate il-15-induced neutrophil responses. we found that vaa-i cannot induce phosphorylation events in human neutrophils. however, it enhances phagocytosis by itself without ... | 2001 | 11683582 |
| cellular and humoral adjuvant activity of lectins isolated from korean mistletoe (viscum album colaratum). | the adjuvant effect of lectins (kml-c) isolated from korean mistletoe (viscum album coloratum) on induction of humoral and cellular immune responses against keyhole limpet hemocyanine (klh) was examined. when mice were immunized subcutaneously (s.c.) with klh (20 micrograms/mouse) admixed with or without 50 ng/mouse of kml-c (klh + kml-c), mice immunized with klh + kml-c showed significantly higher antibody titers against klh than those immunized with klh alone, showing the highest titer 5 weeks ... | 2001 | 11379043 |
| apoptosis induction associated with cell cycle dysregulation by rice bran agglutinin. | effects of rice bran agglutinin (rba) on human monoblastic leukemia u937 cells were examined in comparison with those of wheat germ agglutinin (wga) and viscum album agglutinin (vaa). these lectins inhibit cell growth, and several lines of evidence indicate that the growth inhibition is caused by the induction of apoptosis. we observed that rba induces chromatin condensation, externalization of membrane phosphatidylserine, and dna ladder formation, features of apoptosis. dna ladder formation was ... | 2001 | 11726280 |
| phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in mistletoe leaves: regulation of gene expression, protein content, and covalent modification. | seasonal changes in the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (pepcase, ec 4.1.1.31), a key enzyme in the interaction of carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism, were studied in leaves of the c3 semiparasitic mistletoe, viscum album, growing on different host trees. maximum extractable pepcase activities were higher in leaves of mistletoes growing on betula pendula and alnus glutinosa hosts compared with those on the conifers, abies alba and larix decidua. independent of host, maximum extract ... | 2001 | 11473691 |
| mechanisms involved in spontaneous and viscum album agglutinin-i-induced human neutrophil apoptosis: viscum album agglutinin-i accelerates the loss of antiapoptotic mcl-1 expression and the degradation of cytoskeletal paxillin and vimentin proteins via caspases. | viscum album agglutinin-i (vaa-i) is a plant lectin that possesses interesting potential therapeutic properties and immunomodulatory activities. we have recently found that vaa-i is a potent inducer of human neutrophil apoptosis, but the mechanism(s) involved require further elucidation. in this study, we found that vaa-i alters mitochondrial transmembrane potential and increases intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ros). despite these observations, treatment with the mitochondrial s ... | 2002 | 11801684 |
| different effects of lectins on the ligand binding of the nmda receptors and sigma sites in rat brain hippocampus synaptic membranes. | the effects of the lectins concanavalin a, wga, ricin, abrin, and the mistletoe lectins from viscum album mli, mlii, and mliii on the binding of ligands of the nmda and sigma receptors in rat hippocampus synaptic plasma membranes were investigated. binding of [3h]mk-801, [3h]glutamate, [3h]5,7-dcka, and [3h]glycine to the membranes was decreased by 40-60% after addition of galactose-specific lectins (mistletoe lectins mli, mlii, ricin, abrin) at concentrations of 0.01 mg/ml, but was not affected ... | 2001 | 11513469 |
| epitope specificity of mouse immune response on short polypeptides isolated from viscum album. | | 2001 | 11758499 |
| combined cytotoxic action of viscum album agglutinin-1 and anticancer agents against human a549 lung cancer cells. | viscum album agglutinin-1 (vaa-1) is assumed to be the biologically most active ingredient of misteltoe extracts that are often used as adjuvant cancer therapy. to develop new approaches for lung cancer treatment, we evaluated the antineoplastic activity of vaa-1 alone and in combination with other chemotherapeutic drugs, including doxorubicin, cisplatin and taxol in the human lung carcinoma cell line a549. | 2001 | 11724340 |
| korean mistletoe lectin-induced apoptosis in hepatocarcinoma cells is associated with inhibition of telomerase via mitochondrial controlled pathway independent of p53. | the extract of european mistletoe (viscum album, l) has been used in adjuvant chemotherapy of cancer and mistletoe lectins are considered to be major active components. the present work was performed to investigate the effects of korean mistletoe lectin (viscum album l. coloratum agglutinin, vca) on proliferation and apoptosis of human hepatoma cells as well as the underlying mechamisms for these effects. we showed that vca induced apoptosis in both sk-hep-1 (p53-positive) and hep 3b (p53-negati ... | 2002 | 11885700 |
| induction of apoptosis of endothelial cells by viscum album: a role for anti-tumoral properties of mistletoe lectins. | viscum album (va) preparations consist of aqueous extracts of different types of lectins of va. mistletoe lectins have both cytotoxic and immunomodulatory properties that support their study for the development for cancer therapy. however, the mechanisms of the anti- tumoral properties in vivo of mistletoe lectins are not fully understood. because endothelial cells (ec) play a pivotal role in tumor angiogenesis, we tested the hypothesis that va extracts induce endothelial cell death and apoptosi ... | 2002 | 12477970 |
| cytokine release of a keratinocyte model after incubation with two different viscum album l extracts. | when injected subcutaneously, extracts from the white berry mistletoe (viscum album l) lead to a dose-dependent local inflammatory reaction at the injection site. from in vitro investigations with v album extracts, the release of proinflammatory cytokines from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and from a human skin model (skin(2) model; advanced tissue sciences, la jolla, ca) is known. this shows dose dependence for mistletoe lectin-i in the range of 0.02 ng/ml to 10.0 ng/ml. in this study, an ... | 2003 | 12522519 |
| the influence of isorel on the advanced colorectal cancer. | there is still no therapy method in the colorectal cancers that is good enough for such a complex disease. combined surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy improved survival, but the side effects and the poor performance status of the patients seriously affect the use of these methods. we used a therapeutical approach of surgery and chemotherapy combined with biotherapy by viscum album extract isorel, aiming to improve the patients' resistance to the disease and to render the treatment's side ef ... | 2003 | 12667306 |
| antiviral potency of mistletoe (viscum album ssp. album) extracts against human parainfluenza virus type 2 in vero cells. | various extracts from the leaves of mistletoe (viscum album l. ssp. album) were investigated for their antiviral activity on human parainfluenza virus type 2 (hpiv-2) growth in vero cells. plant extracts were prepared using distilled water, 50% ethanol, petroleum ether, chloroform and acetone. the 50% effective dose (ed(50)) of aqueous extract for hpiv-2 replication was 0.53 +/- 0.12 micro g/ml, and the antiviral index (ai), which was based on the ratio of the 50% inhibitory concentration (cd(50 ... | 2003 | 12749000 |
| measurements of il-6, soluble il-6 receptor and soluble gp130 in sera of b-cell lymphoma patients. does viscum album treatment affect these parameters? | interleukin-6 (il-6) can be involved in several diseases including lymphoid malignancies. this cytokine binds to soluble il-6 receptor (sil-6r) circulating in blood, leading to signal transduction via gp130. soluble il-6r shows agonistic activity for il-6, and the soluble form of gp130 (sgp130) an antagonistic effect against the complex il-6/sil-6r. viscum album extract (iscador) as an immunomodulator is used in the treatment of malignant disorders. in this study we investigated the effect of th ... | 2002 | 12046687 |
| gamma-interferon (ifn-gamma) augments apoptotic response to mistletoe lectin-ii via upregulation of fas/fas l expression and caspase activation in human myeloid u937 cells. | mistletoe lectin-ii, a major composition of korean mistletoe (viscum album coloratum), is known as a potent apoptosis inducer. the previous research has demonstrated that korean mistletoe lectin-ii induces apoptosis via c-jun n terminal kinase (jnk) activation in human myeloid u937 cells. the purpose of this research is to prove the synergistic action of mistletoe lectin-ii and interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma) in the apoptotic cytotoxicity of u937. when u937 cells were treated with mistletoe lectin- ... | 2001 | 11322649 |
| absence of tumor growth stimulation in a panel of 16 human tumor cell lines by mistletoe extracts in vitro. | extracts of viscum album (mistletoe) are widely used as complementary cancer therapies in europe. the mistletoe lectins have been identified as the main active principle of mistletoe extracts. they have been shown to exhibit cytotoxic effects as well as immunomodulatory activities. the latter is exemplified by induction of cytokine secretion and increased activity of natural killer cells. recent reports, however, indicated possible tumor growth stimulation by mistletoe extracts. therefore, the t ... | 2002 | 11984083 |
| mistletoe lectins enhance immune responses to intranasally co-administered herpes simplex virus glycoprotein d2. | the mucosal adjuvant properties of the three type 2 ribosome-inactivating proteins (rips) from the european mistletoe, viscum album l., were investigated. mistletoe lectins were compared with cholera toxin (ct) as adjuvants when delivered nasotracheally together with herpes simplex virus glycoprotein d2 (gd2). all three mistletoe lectins (mli, mlii, mliii) were potent mucosal adjuvants. co-administration of mli, mlii or mliii with gd2 led to significantly higher levels of gd2-specific mucosal im ... | 2002 | 12383207 |
| involvement of caspase-3 in apoptosis induced by viscum album var. coloratum agglutinin in hl-60 cells. | a cytotoxic lectin (viscum album l. coloratum agglutinin, vca) from korean mistletoe was isolated by affinity chromatography on sepharose 4b immobilized with asialofetuin. in hl-60 cells, addition of vca resulted in a dose- and time-dependent growth suppression, morphological changes of apoptotic nuclei, and dna fragmentation characteristics of apoptosis. to investigate how caspase-3 activation during vca-induced apoptosis induces cleavages of parp, the expression of parp and the pattern of casp ... | 2001 | 11330665 |
| antiproliferative and anticarcinogenic effects of an aqueous preparation of abies alba and viscum album se abies, on a l-1210 malignant cell line and tumor-bearing wistar rats. | extracts of plants have been widely tested for possible anticarcinogenic properties. in the present study a traditional remedy, consisting of an aqueous extract of mixed parts of the tree abies alba and its mistletoe viscum album se abies was tested on benzo(alpha)pyrene(bap)-induced tumors in wistar rats and on the l-1210 malignant cell line. two main groups of male wistar rats subcutaneously injected by 10 mg of bap, a dose inducing 100% carcinogenesis, a control group (c-g, 15 rats) and a tre ... | 2000 | 11205277 |
| cuticular waxes and flavonol aglycones of mistletoes. | cuticular waxes of viscum album subspecies and of v. cruciatum have been examined for their micromorphology and chemical composition. wax crystalloids occur preferably as irregular platelets and rodlets, while deviant structures are found in small areas. among the triterpenoids forming the wax layer, oleanolic acid is prevailing with some 80%. the quantitative composition of the long-chain aliphatics, which comprise several classes, is rather variable. flavonoid aglycones, occurring as very mino ... | 2003 | 12939028 |
| antitumor activity of the korean mistletoe lectin is attributed to activation of macrophages and nk cells. | inhibitory effect of the lectins (kml-c) isolated from korean mistletoe (km; viscum album coloratum) on tumor metastases produced by murine tumor cells (b16-bl6 melanoma, colon 26-m3.1 carcinoma and l5178y-ml25 lymphoma cells) was investigated in syngeneic mice. an intravenous (i.v.) administration of kml-c (20-50 ng/mouse) 2 days before tumor inoculation significantly inhibited lung metastases of both b16-bl6 and colon 26-m3.1 cells. the prophylactic effect of 50 ng/mouse of kml-c on lung metas ... | 2003 | 14609136 |
| [effect of preparations of viscum album on metastatic development of brown-pearce rabbit carcinoma]. | | 1955 | 13299817 |
| how does interleukin-6 affect the membrane expressions of interleukin-6 receptor and gp130 and the proliferation of the human myeloma cell line opm-2? | interleukin-6 (il-6) is a potent growth factor for the proliferation of multiple myeloma (mm), which accounts for 1-2% of all human cancers. in this study we investigated the effects of il-6 in various doses on the following parameters in the human myeloma cell line opm-2: membrane expression of il-6 receptor (il-6r) and gp130, proliferation of the tumour cells and the amount of the soluble il-6 receptor (sil-6r) in the supernatant. additionally, we tested the same parameters with the immunomodu ... | 2003 | 14637393 |
| mistletoe lectin induces apoptosis and telomerase inhibition in human a253 cancer cells through dephosphorylation of akt. | mistletoe lectin has been reported to induce apoptosis in different cancer cell lines in vitro and to show antitumor activity against a variety of tumors in animal models. we previously demonstrated the korean mistletoe lectin (viscum album var. coloratum, vca)-induced apoptosis by down-regulation of bcl-2 and telomerase activity and by up-regulation of bax through p53- and p21-independent pathway in hepatoma cells. in the present study, we observed the induction of apoptotic cell death through ... | 2004 | 14969342 |
| anti-inflammatory effect of viscum album agglutinin-i (vaa-i): induction of apoptosis in activated neutrophils and inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced neutrophilic inflammation in vivo. | viscum album agglutinin-i (vaa-i) is a plant lectin which possesses antitumoral properties. this lectin is also known for its immunostimulatory effects when used at low concentrations (1-100 ng/ml). we have demonstrated recently that vaa-i is a potent inducer of human neutrophil apoptosis in vitro when used at higher concentrations. the role of vaa-i on activated neutrophils has not so far been investigated and its potential proinflammatory properties in vivo are poorly documented. herein, we de ... | 2004 | 15270843 |
| cytotoxic effects of some animal and vegetable extracts and some chemicals on liver and colon carcinoma and myosarcoma. | to study, the cytotoxic effects of some biological and chemical agents on g1, s, g2, m and g0 phases of liver and colon carcinomas and myosarcoma cells obtained with chemical carcinogens dimethylbenzanthracene (dmba) and cadmium chloride. | 2004 | 14968209 |
| cloning and expression of catalytic subunit of mliii, the ribosome-inactivating protein from viscum album. | we have cloned the gene encoding a precursor of mistletoe (viscum album) toxin mliii. analyses of nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of this gene revealed significant differences between mli and mliii preprotoxin genes. immunochemical properties of recombinant a-subunit expressed in escherichia coli and renatured were investigated using a panel of monoclonal antibodies raised against three mistletoe toxins (mli, mlii, and mliii). ribosome-inactivating activity of recombinant mliii a-sub ... | 2004 | 15236603 |
| a new gene encoding the ribosome-inactivating protein from mistletoe extracts. | extracts from mistletoe (viscum album l.) contain three main toxic proteins--the lectins mli (also known as viscumin), mlii and mliii. a catalytic subunit of the mistletoe plant toxic lectin mliii has been cloned and expressed in escherichia coli cells. the structure and immunochemical properties of recombinant mliii a-subunit were investigated using a panel of monoclonal antibodies against ml-toxins. ribosome-inactivating activity of the recombinant mliii a-subunit was determined in a cell-free ... | 2004 | 15146937 |
| critical role of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial membrane potential in korean mistletoe lectin-induced apoptosis in human hepatocarcinoma cells. | viscum album l. coloratum agglutinin (vca), isolated from korean mistletoe, is a strong inducer of apoptosis in a variety of tumor cells; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible are not clear. here, we show that vca induces apoptotic killing, as demonstrated by dna fragmentation, hoechst 33258 staining, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dutp nick-end labeling assay, and flow cytometry analysis in hepatocarcinoma hep3b cells. vca treatment results in a significant increase in ... | 2004 | 15340045 |
| isolation of epi-oleanolic acid from korean mistletoe and its apoptosis-lnducing activity in tumor cells. | a triterpene was isolated as a cytotoxic principle from the dichloromethane extract of korean mistletoe (km; viscum album coloratum) by repeated silica gel chromatography and recrystallization. in in vitro analysis of cytotoxic activity using various human and murine tumor cell lines, the dichloromethane extract of km was highly cytotoxic against these cells. we isolated the most active compound, referred to vd-3, from the dichloromethane extract of km. the vd-3 was shown to be less cytotoxic to ... | 2004 | 15460445 |
| differential effects of viscum album extract iscadorqu on cell cycle progression and apoptosis in cancer cells. | extracts from european mistletoe or viscum album l. have been reported to exert cytotoxic and immunomodulatory effects in vitro and in vivo. the mechanism of this anti-tumoral activity is however, largely unknown. in this study we tested the hypothesis that iscadorqu, an aqueous fermented extract from the european mistletoe grown on oaks, induces tumor regression by cell cycle inhibition and/or interference with apoptotic signaling pathways in cancer cells. also a possible effect on angiogenesis ... | 2004 | 15547686 |
| complete structure determination of n-acetyl-d-galactosamine-binding mistletoe lectin-3 from viscum album l. album. | the primary structure of the b chain of the n-acetyl-d-galactosamine-recognizing mistletoe lectin-3 (ml-3b) has been deduced from proteolytic digest peptides of the purified glycoprotein, their hplc-separation and edman degradation and confirmation of the peptide sequences by maldi-ms. ml-3b consists of 262 amino acid residues including 10 cysteine moieties. the structure and linkage of the carbohydrate side chains, connected to two n-glycosylation sites at positions asn(95) and asn(135) of the ... | 2005 | 15635663 |
| inhibition of alpha-glucosidase by aqueous extracts of some potent antidiabetic medicinal herbs. | diabetes mellitus is one of the most prevalant diseases of adults. agents with alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity have been useful as oral hypoglycemic drugs for the control of hyperglycemia in patients with type 2; noninsulin-dependent, diabetes mellitus (niddm). investigation of some medicinal herbs: urtica dioica, taraxacum officinale, viscum album, and myrtus communis with alpha-glucosidase inhibitor activity was conducted to identify a prophylactic effect for diabetes in vitro. all plant ... | 2005 | 15704495 |
| vasodilator activity of the aqueous extract of viscum album. | the aqueous extract of viscum album leaves showed a significant coronary vasodilator activity on the langendorff's isolated and perfused heart model. the data obtained suggest that the aqueous extract of v. album contains some biologically active principles that may act as inducers of the nitric oxide/soluble guanylate cyclase pathway. | 2005 | 15752631 |
| glycomic profiling of developmental changes in bovine testis by lectin histochemistry and further analysis of the most prominent alteration on the level of the glycoproteome by lectin blotting and lectin affinity chromatography. | the emerging concept of the sugar code attributes functional significance to oligosaccharides of cellular glycoconjugates by protein (lectin)-carbohydrate interactions. hence it follows that monitoring of glycan expression (glycomic profiling) is not only valuable to delineate characteristic (phenomenological) changes in the cell's glycosylation but will also come up with the localization of epitopes with potential in biorecognition. it is for this purpose that we have set up a panel of 16 marke ... | 2004 | 15375747 |
| involvement of hydrogen peroxide in mistletoe lectin-ii-induced apoptosis of myeloleukemic u937 cells. | mistletoe lectin-ii, a major component of korean mistletoe (viscum album var. coloratum) induces apoptotic death in cancer cells. in this study, we demonstrated that lectin-ii induced the generation of pro-oxidants and thus resulted in the apoptotic death of human myeloleukemic u937 cells. we observed that lectin-ii-induced apoptotic death was inhibited by antioxidants including reduced glutathione (gsh), n-acetylcysteine (nac), ebselen, mntbp, catalase and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (pdtc). gs ... | 2003 | 12850239 |
| influence of mistletoe ( viscum album) extracts on phagocytosis/burst activity of human phagocytes. | the aim of the present study was to examine the in vitro effects of various mistletoe extracts on human phagocytes. phagocytosis, oxidative burst, and intracellular killing were analyzed by flow cytometry. none of the mistletoe preparations investigated exhibited significant phagocytosis-enhancing properties. different mistletoe lectin concentrations ranging from 0.025 to 20 ng/ml showed only marginal influence on phagocyte activity. contrary to the opinion of numerous practitioners of complemen ... | 2003 | 12884062 |
| medicinal plants used in kirklareli province (turkey). | in this paper, 126 traditional medicinal plants from kirklareli province in turkey have been reported. one hundred and twenty six plant species belonging to 54 families and among them 100 species were wild and 26 species were cultivated plants. most used families were rosaceae, labiatae, compositae and the most used plants were cotinus coggyria, sambucus ebulus, achillea millefolium subsp. pannonica, hypericum perforatum, matricaria chamomilla var. recutita, melissa officinalis subsp. officinali ... | 2007 | 17257791 |
| some medicinal plants as immunostimulant for fish. | immunostimulant effects of the dietary intake of various medicinal plant extracts on fish, rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss), were investigated. for this purpose fish were fed with diets containing aqueous extracts of mistletoe (viscum album), nettle (urtica dioica), and ginger (zingiber officinale). food containing lyophilized extracts of these plants as 0.1 and 1% was used at a rate of 2% of body weight per day for three weeks. at the end of the experimental period, various parameters of non ... | 2003 | 12902058 |
| differences in amino acid sequences of mistletoe lectin i and iii b-subunits determining carbohydrate binding specificity. | toxic lectins of european mistletoe viscum album l.--mli (viscumin), mlii and mliii--are present in water extracts of this plant. earlier we have cloned the full-length gene of mliii precursor [a.g. tonevitsky, i.i. agapov, i.b. pevzner, n.v. maluchenko, m.m. mojsenovich, u. pfueller, m.p. kirpichnikov, (2004) biochemistry (mosc.), 69 (6), 790-800, in press]. here for the first time we report the cloning and expression in escherichia coli cells of mliii gene fragment encoding the carbohydrate-bi ... | 2004 | 15535979 |
| evaluation of the hypoglycemic effect and antioxidant activity of three viscum album subspecies (european mistletoe) in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. | the acute hypoglycaemic effect of water and ethanolic extracts of three viscum album subspecies, ssp. album, ssp. austriacum, ssp. abietis, were investigated in normoglycaemic and streptozotozocin-induced diabetic rats. blood glucose level was measured according to glucose oxidase method. the antioxidant activity of these extracts was also studied in the liver, kidney and heart tissues of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats after subacute administration. in order to determine antioxidant activi ... | 2005 | 15763369 |
| [mistletoe (viscum album) preparations: an optional drug for cancer patients?]. | extracts and preparations from the parasitic plant mistletoe (viscum album l.) have been used in the treatment of cancer for decades. mistletoe treatment for cancer was introduced in 1920 by steiner and wegman, founders of the anthroposophical medical method. today, mistletoe extracts are the most frequently prescribed unconventional cancer therapies in germany, as in some other european countries. full clinical data about the efficacy of the mistletoe preparations is still missing. the preparat ... | 2006 | 16450726 |
| anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity of flavonoids isolated from viscum album ssp. album. | viscum album l. has been used in the indigenous systems of medicine for treatment of headache and some inflammatory diseases. in order to evaluate this information, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of the five flavonoids (5,7-dimethoxy naringenin or 4',6'-dimethoxy chalcononaringenin) derivatives, isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of the extract from v. album ssp. album, were investigated, namely 5,7-dimethoxy-flavanone-4'-o-beta-d-glucopyranoside (1), 2'-hydroxy-4',6'-dim ... | 2006 | 16610212 |
| neurophysiological effects of mistletoe (viscum album l.) on isolated rat intestines. | mistletoe (viscum album l.) is well known as a medicine from ancient times and the earliest notes. today it is used as a remedy. the aim of this research was to examine the effects of mistletoe extracts and their components on some neurophysiological parameters in rat intestines. the tonus and contractile responses of isolated intestinal segments (duodenum, ileum and distal colon) were analysed. the experiment was carried out in three groups. in the first group (control group) different concentr ... | 2006 | 16619366 |
| antihypercholesterolaemic and antioxidant activity assessment of some plants used as remedy in turkish folk medicine. | ethanolic and aqueous extracts from five plant species used in turkish traditional medicine were evaluated for in vivo hypercholesterolaemic and antioxidant activities: agrostemma githago l., potentilla reptans l., thymbra spicata var. spicata l., urtica dioica l. and viscum album var. album l. we assayed the effects of the administration of plant extracts on serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, hdl-c, ldl-c, glucose, ast and alt concentrations in mice fed with cholesterol-rich diet. in additi ... | 2006 | 16713156 |
| interleukin-12 is associated with the in vivo anti-tumor effect of mistletoe extracts in b16 mouse melanoma. | viscum album (va) preparations consist of aqueous extracts of different types of lectins of mistletoe. va exert cytotoxic and immunomodulatory properties that may be relevant for the inhibition of tumor growth. we addressed the effects of va preparation va qu frf on growth of b16f1 melanoma implanted in mice and on proliferation and cytokine synthesis of splenocytes. in c57bl6 mice, inhibition of tumor growth by va was associated with an enhancement of splenocyte proliferation and with an up-reg ... | 2006 | 16412563 |
| antiproliferative effects of mistletoe (viscum album l.) extract in urinary bladder carcinoma cell lines. | the aim of the study was to evaluate the antiproliferative potency of viscum album extract (va-e) in human bladder carcinoma cell lines with regard to its possible use for intravesical therapy of superficial bladder cancer. | 2006 | 16886633 |
| absence of tumor growth stimulation in a panel of 26 human tumor cell lines by mistletoe (viscum album l.) extracts iscador in vitro. | mistletoe (viscum album l.) extracts exhibit antitumor activity based on direct inhibition of tumor growth as well as modulation of immune response. recent reports suggested potential stimulation of tumor growth at low doses of mistletoe extracts, particularly in hematological tumors and tumors responding to immunotherapy. therefore, the direct effect of the three mistletoe extracts iscador m spezial, iscador qu spezial and iscador p on tumor growth was investigated in a panel of 26 human tumor ... | 2006 | 16927523 |
| in vitro immunoreactivity towards lectin-rich or viscotoxin-rich mistletoe (viscum album l.) extracts iscador applied to healthy individuals. | the aim of the study was to investigate how exposure to mistletoe extracts in vivo may influence cellular immune reactions by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc). 47 healthy individuals were exposed for twelve weeks either to iscador quercus special (iq; rich in mistletoe lectin [ml]) (n = 16), to iscador pinus (ip; poor in ml but rich in viscotoxin) (n = 15), or to placebo (physiological saline) (n = 16). pbmc were isolated before exposure, during exposure in week 4, 8 and 12, as well as ... | 2006 | 16927525 |
| nitric oxide involvement in the anti-tumor effect of mistletoe (viscum album l.) extracts iscador on human macrophages. | lectins from different types of mistletoe (viscum album, va) have cytotoxic and immunomodulatory properties that may be relevant in the inhibition of tumor growth. the mechanism of this anti-tumoral activity remains unknown, although recent investigations point out the induction of anti-tumoral cytotoxic t cell activation. in this study therapeutically available mistletoe extracts (iscador) prepared from quercus (va-q), apple (malus, va-m) or pine (pinus, va-p) were used to investigate their cap ... | 2006 | 16927526 |
| effects of mistletoe (viscum album l.) extracts iscador on cell cycle and survival of tumor cells. | the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which mistletoe (viscum album l.) extracts exert cytotoxic and immunomodulatory anti-tumoral effects are largely unknown. in this study the hypothesis that iscador preparations induce tumor regression by cell cycle inhibition and/or interference with apoptotic signaling pathways in cancer cells was investigated. also a possible effect on angiogenesis, which is a prerequisite for tumor growth in vivo, is studied in endothelial cell cultures. furthermore, i ... | 2006 | 16927529 |
| gene expression profiles of different breast cancer cells compared with their responsiveness to fermented mistletoe (viscum album l.) extracts iscador from oak (quercus), pine (pinus), white fir (abies) and apple tree (malus) in vitro. | cytotoxicity assays in vitro (mtt test) showed that the different breast cancer cell lines kpl-1, mcf-7 and mfm-223 respond differently to the mistletoe (viscum album l.) preparations iscador. quercus (qu), abies (a), malus (m) and pinus (p). in order to determine the differences in the responsiveness of the cells more exactly, the gene expression profiles were determined by cells, which were treated with mistletoe extracts, compared with untreated control cells. such differences can be analysed ... | 2006 | 16927530 |
| preclinical investigations with mistletoe (viscum album l.) extract iscador. | the mistletoe (viscum album l.) extract iscador has been shown to be an effective complementary drug in the treatment of cancer patients after surgical removal of the primary tumor. it improved survival, recovery from damage caused by irradiation or cytostatic therapy, and quality of life. beneficial effects were seen especially as reduction of the side effects caused by basic oncological therapy. in animal tests, clear anti-carcinogenic effects of iscador were demonstrated as reduction of tumor ... | 2006 | 16927531 |
| improvement of an enzyme linked lectin assay to determine recombinant mistletoe lectin i. | extracts from viscum album leaves, with mistletoe lectin i (ml i) as the main therapeutic agent, are commonly used as an immunomodulating adjuvat in tumour therapy. because of its popularity against cancer and the possibility for a better standardisation a recombinant ml i (rml i) was developed by eck et al. to improve the sensitivity of an already established enzyme linked lectin assay (ella) for rml i human haptoglobins with different phenotypes (1.1, 2.1 and 2.2) are used to replace asialofet ... | 2007 | 16971084 |
| targeting angiogenesis with integrative cancer therapies. | an integrative approach for managing a patient with cancer should target the multiple biochemical and physiological pathways that support tumor development while minimizing normal tissue toxicity. angiogenesis is a key process in the promotion of cancer. many natural health products that inhibit angiogenesis also manifest other anticancer activities. the authors will focus on natural health products (nhps) that have a high degree of antiangiogenic activity but also describe some of their many ot ... | 2006 | 16484711 |
| viscum album agglutinin-i (vaa-i) induces apoptosis and degradation of cytoskeletal proteins in human leukemia plb-985 and x-cgd cells via caspases: lamin b1 is a novel target of vaa-i. | viscum album agglutinin-i (vaa-i) is a potent inducer of cell apoptosis and possesses anti-tumoral activity. using plb-985 and chronic granulomatous disease (x-cgd) cells, which lack expression of gp91(phox), vaa-i was found to induce apoptosis in both cell lines as assessed by cytology, dna laddering and degradation of the cytoskeletal protein gelsolin. both cell lines expressed caspase-3 and -8 and vaa-i activated these caspases. we demonstrated that lamin b(1) is a novel target to vaa-i and i ... | 2005 | 16242777 |
| increased plasma total cholesterol and high density lipoprotein levels produced by the crude extract from the leaves of viscum album (mistletoe). | the effect of an aqueous extract prepared from the leaves of viscum album (mistletoe) on plasma cholesterol and albumin levels in male wistar rats was studied. lethality studies revealed that the extract had an ld50 value of 417.0 mg/kg mice, intraperitoneally. the rats were randomly divided into seven (7) groups of 5 rats per group with one animal per metabolic cage. group one served as the control (c1), groups two to six were treated with extract (200 mg/kg body weight orally and daily) for a ... | 2006 | 17242719 |
| cloning and expression of mistletoe lectin iii b-subunit. | aqueous extracts of mistletoe (viscum album l.) contain toxic proteins (lectins) mli (viscumin), mlii, and mliii. we previously cloned the gene encoding mliii precursor. in the present study, a gene fragment encoding the carbohydrate-binding subunit of mistletoe toxic lectin mliii was cloned and expressed in escherichia coli cells. the structure and immunochemical properties of recombinant mliii b-subunit were investigated using a panel of monoclonal antibodies against ml-toxins. sugar-binding a ... | 2005 | 15823085 |
| the upward shift in altitude of pine mistletoe (viscum album ssp. austriacum) in switzerland--the result of climate warming? | pine mistletoe (viscum album ssp. austriacum) is common in natural scots pine (pinus sylvestris l.) forests in the alpine rhone valley, switzerland. this semi-parasite, which is regarded as an indicator species for temperature, increases the drought stress on trees and may contribute to the observed pine decline in the region. we recorded mistletoes on representative plots of the swiss national forest inventory ranging from 450 to 1,550 m a.s.l. we found mistletoe on 37% of the trees and on 56% ... | 2005 | 15875222 |
| viscum album agglutinin-i induces apoptosis and degradation of cytoskeletal proteins via caspases in human leukaemia eosinophil aml14.3d10 cells: differences with purified human eosinophils. | although there are several agents that induce neutrophil apoptosis, few are known as inducers of eosinophil apoptosis. as eosinophils are potent effector cells contributing to allergic inflammation and asthma, we investigated whether the pro-apoptotic agent viscum album agglutinin-i (vaa-i) could induce eosinophil apoptosis. vaa-i was found to induce apoptosis in eosinophilic aml14.3d10 (3d10) cells and that these cells expressed caspases-1, -2, -3, -4, -7, -8, -9 and -10. vaa-i-induced gelsolin ... | 2005 | 16098066 |
| [viscum album aqueous extract induces inducible and endothelial nitric oxide synthases expression in isolated and perfused guinea pig heart. evidence of the coronary vasodilation mechanism]. | the pharmacological effect of a viscum album aqueous extract was evaluated on the langendorff isolated and perfused heart model in normotense male guinea pig hearts. coronary vascular resistance, left intraventricular pressure, nitric oxide release in the perfusion liquid, cyclic guanosine monophosphate production, and analysis of inducible and endothelial nitric oxide synthases expression by western blot in ventricular tissue were recorded in absence and presence of blockers and inhibitors, suc ... | 2006 | 16859209 |
| viscum album aqueous extract induces nos-2 and nos-3 overexpression in guinea pig hearts. | viscum album l. aqueous extract, on the langendorff isolated and perfused heart model, decreases coronary vascular resistance, when compared to control group (36.00 +/- 2.00 vs. 15.80 +/- 1.96 dyn s cm-5). our data support the fact that this mechanism involves nos-2 and nos-3 overexpression (4.65 and 7.89 times over control, respectively), which is correlated with increases in no (6.24 +/- 2.49 vs. 147.95 +/- 2.79 pmol) and cgmp production (43.94 +/- 2.00 vs. 74.81 +/- 1.96 pmol mg-1 of tissue), ... | 2006 | 17127505 |
| use and safety of anthroposophic medications in chronic disease: a 2-year prospective analysis. | anthroposophic medications (amed) are prescribed by physicians in 56 countries worldwide and are used for the treatment of a variety of conditions. however, safety data on long-term use of amed from large prospective studies are sparse. the objective of this analysis was to determine the frequency of patient-reported and physician-assessed adverse drug reactions (adrs) to amed in outpatients using amed for chronic diseases over a 2-year period. | 2006 | 17147463 |
| natural health products that inhibit angiogenesis: a potential source for investigational new agents to treat cancer-part 1. | an integrative approach for managing a patient with cancer should target the multiple biochemical and physiologic pathways that support tumour development and minimize normal-tissue toxicity. angiogenesis is a key process in the promotion of cancer. many natural health products that inhibit angiogenesis also manifest other anticancer activities. the present article focuses on products that have a high degree of anti-angiogenic activity, but it also describes some of the many other actions of the ... | 2006 | 17576437 |
| natural health products that inhibit angiogenesis: a potential source for investigational new agents to treat cancer-part 2. | the herbalist has access to hundreds of years of observational data on the anticancer activity of many herbs. laboratory studies are expanding the clinical knowledge that is already documented in traditional texts. the herbs that are traditionally used for anti-cancer treatment and that are anti-angiogenic through multiple interdependent processes (including effects on gene expression, signal processing, and enzyme activities) include artemisia annua (chinese wormwood), viscum album (european mi ... | 2006 | 17576449 |
| in vitro immunoregulatory effects of korean mistletoe lectin on functional activation of monocytic and macrophage-like cells. | korean mistletoe lectin (kml) is one of the major active components in viscum album var. (coloratum), displaying various biological effects such as anti-tumor and anti-metastatic activities. even though it has been shown to boost host immune defense mechanisms, the immunomodulatory effects of kml on specific immune responses mediated by macrophages have not been fully elucidated. therefore, in this study, we aimed to demonstrate kml's regulatory roles on macrophage-mediated immune responses. kml ... | 2007 | 17978473 |
| molecular mechanisms of mistletoe plant extract-induced apoptosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia in vivo and in vitro. | viscum album (mistletoe) is one of the most widely used alternative cancer therapies. aqueous mistletoe extracts (mt) contain the three mistletoe lectins i, ii and iii as one predominant group of biologically active agents. although mt is widely used, there is a lack of scientifically sound preclinical and clinical data. in this paper, we describe for the first time the in vivo efficacy and mechanism of action of mt in lymphoblastic leukemia. for this purpose, we first investigated both the cyto ... | 2008 | 18314258 |