Demonstration of specifically sensitized lymphocytes in patients treated with aqueous extract (Viscum album L.)

Journal/Book: Klin. Wochenschr. 69 (9), 397-403. 1991;

Abstract: Lymphocytes of 25 patients treated with an aqueous mistletoe extract(Viscum album L.) for up to 6 months (group 1), up to 2 years (group 2),and more than 2 years (group 3) were examined in 3- and 7-day culturesfor specifically sensitized lymphocytes. The whole extract (HM), thelectin-polysaccharide fraction (HM-LP), and the 'viscotoxin' fraction(HM-V) were added at concentrations ranging from 0.5 micrograms to 12.5mg extract/ml. Lymphocytes from four of the nine group 2 patients andfive of the ten group 3 patients reacted specifically with HM and HM-LPat an optimal dose of 5.0 mg/ml, but did not react with HM-V.Stimulation indices varied between 1.6 and 16. In the patients of group3 this effect was observed only when their lymphocytes wereco-stimulated in the 3-day cultures with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), incontrast to the four patients of group 2 who reacted only in the 7-daycultures with HM-LP without PHA co-stimulation. Patients' lymphocyteshad to be protected from mistletoe lectin-induced cytotoxicity by theaddition of their own sera containing anti-mistletoe lectin antibodies.Lymphocytes from tumor patients (n = 18) never treated with mistletoeextracts and healthy individuals (n = 18) showed no specificproliferative response when tested in 3- and 7-day cultures.(ABSTRACTTRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Author.

Keyword(s): ANTIBODY-FORMATION/DE (drug effects)

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