Some protein pharmaceuticals from Chinese medicine have been developed to treat cardiovascular diseases, genetic diseases, and cancer. Bioactive proteins with various pharmacological properties have been successfully isolated from animals such as Hirudo medicinalis (medicinal leech), Eisenia fetida (earthworm), and Mesobuthus martensii (Chinese scorpion), and from herbal medicines derived from ...

An immunotoxin consisting of the enzymatically active A-chain of mistletoe lectin I and a monoclonal antibody against a surface protein on mouse leukemia L1210V cells was found to inhibit protein synthesis in these cells as efficiently as the native mistletoe toxin. The immunotoxin was somewhat more slowly endocytosed than the native toxin, but in both cases the endocytic uptake continued under...

Three new diarylheptanoids, (3S,5R)-3-hydroxy-5-methoxy-1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6E-heptene (1), (3S,5S)-3-hydroxy-5-methoxy-1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6E-heptene (2), and (3S)-3-hydroxy-1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6E-hepten-5-one (3), four new flavonoid glycosides, 3,7,3'-tri-O-methylquercetin-4'-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1→2)-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (4), 7,3'-di-O-methylquercetin-4'-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-...

Extensive use of Viscum album (VA) preparations in the complementary therapy of cancer and in several other human pathologies has led to an increasing number of cellular and molecular approaches to explore the mechanisms of action of VA. We have recently demonstrated that, VA preparations exert a potent anti-inflammatory effect by selectively down-regulating the COX-2-mediated cytokine-induced ...

BACKGROUND Malignant ascites is a major problem in the management of advanced stages of certain malignancies. The possibility of reducing the accumulation of ascites by intraperitoneal injections of a Viscum album extract (Iscador M) was evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-three patients, with end-stage malignancies of varying histology, requiring repeated peritoneal punctures, were eligib...

BACKGROUND Mistletoe is a complementary cancer treatment that is widely used, usually in addition to and alongside recommended conventional cancer therapy. However, little is known about its use, effectiveness, and safety in the treatment of cutaneous lymphoma. CASE REPORT Two patients with primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (pT2bcNxM0 follicle center and pT2ac-NxM0 marginal zone) either decli...

Viscum album preparations are aqueous mistletoe plant extracts used in complementary and alternative medicine as immunomodulators in cancer therapy. However, evidence of immunological efficacy of mistletoe extracts (MEs) used in clinical trials is often lacking. Mechanisms involved in anti-tumor properties of ME and mistletoe lectins (MLs) modify both innate and adaptive immune systems, accordi...

BACKGROUND Anthroposophic Mistletoe therapy is a widely used complementary cancer treatment. OBJECTIVE To evaluate prospective clinical trials on the effectiveness of anthroposophic mistletoe therapy for cancer. DESIGN Systematic review. MATERIAL AND METHODS Search of 9 electronic databases, reference lists and extensive expert consultations. Criteria-based assessment of methodological st...

Extracts of Viscum album (VA); a semi-parasitic plant, are frequently used in the complementary therapy of cancer and other immunological disorders. Various reports show that VA modulates immune system and exerts immune-adjuvant activities that might influence tumor regression. Currently, several therapeutic preparations of VA are available and hence an insight into the mechanisms of action of ...