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BackgroundMedications from Anthroposophical Medicine (AM) are clinically used for the treatment of infections within a whole medical system but have not yet been evaluated regarding antibacterial effects. The aims of this study was to investigate antibacterial activity of AM medications in cell culture.MethodsScreening of AM drug registers for preparations used to treat any kind of infection and being available in dilutions ≤ D2 and without alcoholic content. Selected medications were screened for antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using the agar diffusion method. For antimicrobial active preparations growth kinetics (drop plate method) and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC, macrodilution method) were determined.ResultsThirty-three preparations matched the selection criteria and were chosen for own experiments. One of them (Berberis Decoctum D2) exhibited bactericidal activities against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin resistant strains. The MIC could be determined as 5 mg/ml. The effects could be related to the content of berberine in the extract. No activity towards gram-negative bacteria was found. The other tested extracts had no antibacterial effects.ConclusionBerberis Decoctum D2 which is used in AM to treat infections exhibits bactericidal effects on Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin resistant strains.

Summary Background: Extracts from the Siberian rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum) as well as those from red clover (Trifolium pratense) contain phytoestrogens, while black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) may alternatively modify estrogen receptor activity. They have been used for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. Little is known about their effects on estrogen-dependent tumor cells. Materials and Methods: The influence of a standardized preparation of Rheum rhaponticum (ERr 731?), a well described preparation of Trifolium pratense (Menoflavon? extra) and a commercial preparation of Cimicifuga racemosa (Cefakliman? mono) on proliferation of breast cancer cells was analyzed by the crystal violet assay in estrogen-receptor (ER) dependent (MCF-7) and ER independent (MDA-MB-231) cell-based systems. As positive control for the proliferation of MCF-7 cells we used 17 ?-estradiol. The estrogen specificity was demonstrated by applying the ER antagonist ICI182,780 to the cell culture. Results: Rheum rhaponticum and Cimicifuga racemosa did not induce cell proliferation of MCF-7 or MDA-MB-231 cells. High concentration (100 ?g/mL) of Rheum rhaponticum and Trifolium pratense extract were toxic to both cell lines. Trifolium pratense slightly increased proliferation of MCF-7 cells in a dose dependent manner, but this effect was not estrogen specific. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that the used extracts have no estrogen specific impact on the proliferation of ER dependent and ER independent breast cancer cells.

To monitor the frequencies of virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), FACS analyses were performed detecting lymphocyte-specific surface molecules and tetramer binding, as marker for peptide-specificity. Aim of this investigation was to establish an alternative protocol for the quantification of virus-specific CTLs using tetramer binding and microscopic analyzing. The frequencies of HCMV-pp65-peptide-specific CTLs in the blood of eight different HLA-A*0201-positive, HCMV-IgG antibody-positive donors were analyzed with both methods. Using FACS analyses, a median of 0.8% and, using the microscopic analyses, a median of 3.0% was detected in the CD3+CD8+ cells. After enrichment of HCMV-pp65-peptide-specific CTLs using the interferon-gamma secretion assay followed by expansion in cell culture, a median of 90.6% using FACS analyses and a median of 87.1% using the microscopic analyses was detected. Thus, the staining protocol presented in this investigation is an alternative approach to detect and to quantify virus-specific CTLs in low as well as in high frequencies.