Comparative study on the cytotoxic effect of viscotoxin and mistletoe lectin on tumor cells in culture

Journal/Book: Phytotherapy Res. 9 (1), 49-55. 1995;

Abstract: A comparative study was carried out on the effect of viscotoxin andmistletoe lectin I, two mistletoe proteins known to be toxic to mammals,on three tumour cell lines in culture (Yoshida sarcoma cells, T-cellleukaemia cells Molt4, and myeloid cells K562). Both viscotoxin andmistletoe lectin were cytotoxic for the three cell lines tested,although the cell sensitivity was dependent on the type of cells used.Yoshida cells were the most sensitive to viscotoxin (ED50 = 0.7 mug/mL)and less sensitive to mistletoe lectin (ED50 = 12.8 mug/mL). K562 cellswere more sensitive to mistletoe lectin (ED50 = 75 mug/mL) than Molt4cells (ED50 = 1.3 ng/mL), whose high sensitivity to mistletoe lectin iswell known. Data are also reported showing that this cell line dependentsensitivity can be exploited to demonstrate and/or to discriminate thetoxic activities of either substances in crude mistletoe extracts. Inparticular the Yoshida cell line can represent a suitable system for abioassay of viscotoxin in these extracts.

Keyword(s): Medical:cytotoxicity

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