Preclinical and Clinical Effects of Mistletoe against Breast Cancer

Table 1

Summary of in vitro and in vivo studies of mistletoe extracts on breast cancer cells and animal models.

Mistletoe preparations tested	Cell line/animal model used	Main findings	Reference
Triterpenoids and triterpenoids saponin from Viscum liquidambaricolum	MCF-7	Positive cytotoxic effect	[50]
Pachypodol and ombuine from Viscum coloratumKom. nakai	MCF-7	Positive cytotoxic effect	[51]
Viscum album (unidentified host tree)	MDA-MB 435	Cell viability was reduced significantly.	[52]
Hydroalcoholic extract of V.albumL.fromhornbeam tree (Carpinus betulus)	MCF7	Positive cytotoxic effect	[53]
Ethanolic extract of Dendrophthoe falcate stem (unidentified host tree)	MCF7	Cytotoxic activity increased significantly	[54]
Phoradendron serotinum	MCF-7	Positive cytotoxic effect	[56]
Aqueous mistletoe extract with a defined content of bioactive mistletoe lectin	MCF-7	Positive cytotoxic activity, no stimulation of tumor cell proliferation was observed	[63, 64]
Helixor A, Helixor P, and Helixor M	MCF7, MACLMDA-MB231, MACL MDA-MB648	Cytotoxic activity on tumor cells was found	[57]
Iscador M spezial and Iscador QU spezial	MAXF401 NL	Positive anticancer activity	[58]
Iscador M, Iscador Q, and Abnobaviscum Fraxini-2	MFM-223, KPL-1	Proliferation of cells was strongly inhibited	[59]
VAP-QU, VAP-M, VAP-A, VAP-P, andpurified lectin	MFM-223, MCF-7	Cell growth was reduced	[62]
Iscador M, Iscador Q, Iscador P	MCF7	Induction of apoptosis	[65]
ME-M (Helixor M), and ME-A (Helixor A)	BT474, BALB/c-mouse	Dose dependent cytotoxic effect along with decrease in tumor weight was observed	[60]
Iscador M	MDA-MB-468-HER2	Inhibition of epidermal growth factor induced proliferation of cells	[61]
Phoratoxin from Phoradendron tomentosum growing on Populus fremontii; S. Wats	primary culture of human tumor cell from patients	Significant toxicity on tumor cell was witnessed	[55]
Iscador M cum argento	Chemosensitive transplantation tumors model/Rats	No significant antitumor and cytotoxic activities were found	[66]
Abnoba-Viscum M	MAXF 449, sc/Nude mice	Cell proliferation was reduced	[67]