Anti-mistletoe lectin antibodies are produced in patients during therapy with an aqueous mistletoe extract derived from VISCUM ALBUM L.and neutralize lectin- induced cytotoxicity in vitro

Journal/Book: Klin. Wochenschr. 68, 896-900. 1990;

Abstract: The humoral response components of an aqueous mistletoe extract (HM) wasevaluated in 23 tumor patients who had been treated from 2 months up to6 years with increasing dosages of HM. IgG antibodies against mistletoelectin and other components of this extract were detected by ELISA,immunodiffusion, and blotting technique, using either the aqueousextract (HM) or a purified lectin preparation (ML). Their activitydepended upon dosage of HM and length of therapy. No anti-HM/MLantibodies of the IgM type could be detected. Immunoblotting revealedlectin-specific antigens at 62 kD, 33k D, and 29 kD. In the presence ofML or HM, PHA-induced proliferation of normal lymphocytes was decreasedin a dose-dependent manner; this effect was neutralized by adding theIgG fraction from pooled anti-HM-antibody-positive sera, indicating thatthe cytotoxic effect of lectins was eliminated by these specificantibodies. In view of these findings, it is questionable whetherexposing tumor cells to mistletoe extracts in vivo exerts the samedirect effect on tumor cells that is observed in vitro. Author.

Keyword(s): BLOTTING-WESTERN

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