Antitumorous and Immunomodulatory Effects of the <i>Viscum album </i>L. Preparation Isorel

Abstract

There are numerous data on the immunostimulative and antitumorous activity of various Viscum album tissue extracts. Isorel (Novipharm, Austria) is one of these compounds. We found that in mice an increased number of plaque-forming cells to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) followed the injection of Isorel together with SRBC. Further, survival time of a foreign skin graft was shortened if Isorel was applied at the correct time. Finally, suppressed immune reactivity in tumorous mice recovered following Isorel injection. Isorel was further shown to be cytotoxic to tumor cells in vitro. Its application to tumor-bearing mice could prolong their life but without any therapeutic effect. However, a combination of local irradiation and Isorel was very effective: following 43 Gy of local irradiation to a transplanted methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma (volume about 240 mm³) growing in syngeneic CB A/HZgr mice, the tumor disappeared in about 25% of the animals; the addition of Isorel increased the incidence of cured animals to over 65%. The combined action of Isorel, influencing tumor viability on the one hand and the host’s immune reactivity on the other, seems to be favorable for its antitumor action in vivo.

Tissue culture of parasitic flowering plants: Methods and applications in agriculture and forestry

“…Therefore, tissue culture was used to obtain a homogeneous source of material (callus) from which extracts were obtained and found to contain active ingredients, such as acetylcholine, histamine, flavonoids, lectins, and Y-aminobutyric acid (19). These chemicals were used in products to treat tumors (60,65), arthritis, hypertension, and arteriosclerosis (19). Mistletoe callus was placed directly on top of beech (Fagus crenata) callus to study cellcell interactions between the mistletoe and its host in vitro, but the calluses grew together without any contact inhibition (45).…”

Sedative, antiepileptic and antipsychotic effects of Viscum album L. (Loranthaceae) in mice and rats

“…(Radenkovic et al, 2006). Viscum album L. have been reported to possess antitumors and immunomodulatory (Jurin et al, 1993), anticancer (Burger et al, 2001), hypotensive (Ofem et al, 2007), antiinflammatory (Hegde et al, 2011), hypoglycemic and antioxidant (Orhan et al, 2005), neurophysiological (Radenkovic et al, 2006), cytotoxic (Cebović et al, 2008), antimycobacterial (Deliorman et al, 2001a,b) etc. activities.…”

Cytotoxic effect of mistletoe (Viscum album L.) extract on Jurkat cells and its interaction with doxorubicin

“…Since the early 1920s, various aqueous extracts of European mistletoe has been used for the complementary therapy of cancer (especially solid tumors) in man (Grossarth-Maticek and Ziegler, 2007;Lenartz et al, 2000). The anticancer activities of mistletoe have been ascribed to a combination of cytotoxic and immunological effects (Jurin et al, 1993;Schaller and Urech, 1996;Cebovic et al, 2008). It exerts immunostimulatory and DNA-stabilizing effects at low concentrations and cytotoxic activity at higher concentrations (Büssing et al, 1995;Thies et al, 2005).…”