Characterization of cytotoxic proteins from mistletoe (Viscum album L.)

Cancer Lett. 1990 May 30;51(2):103-8. doi: 10.1016/0304-3835(90)90044-x.

Abstract

Proteins from a laboratory-made oak mistletoe extract and from the commercial mistletoe preparation Iscador Quercus were cytotoxic for leukemia Molt 4 cells in culture. A 50% growth inhibition was obtained with 0.1 microgram/ml proteins for the mistletoe extract and 0.025 microgram/ml for Iscador. On cation exchange chromatography, cytotoxic proteins from the mistletoe extract were mainly eluted at the same positions as purified lectins, while those of Iscador were eluted at the positions of viscotoxins. The data are discussed in relation to the pharmacological activities of the mistletoe protein complexes described in the literature.

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / analysis
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / metabolism
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Chromatography, Liquid / methods
  • Humans
  • Lectins / metabolism
  • Leukemia, T-Cell / pathology
  • Mistletoe / analysis*
  • Plant Extracts / analysis
  • Plant Extracts / metabolism
  • Plant Lectins
  • Plant Preparations*
  • Plant Proteins / isolation & purification*
  • Plants, Medicinal*
  • Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2
  • Thymidine / metabolism
  • Toxins, Biological / metabolism
  • Tritium
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Lectins
  • Plant Extracts
  • Plant Lectins
  • Plant Preparations
  • Plant Proteins
  • Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2
  • Toxins, Biological
  • ribosome inactivating protein, Viscum
  • Tritium
  • viscotoxin
  • viscum album peptide
  • Thymidine