Stimulation of the specific immune system by mistletoe extracts

Journal/Book: Anti-Cancer-Drugs 8 (suppl.1), 33-37. 1997;

Abstract: We have investigated the in vitro responsiveness of T cells frommistletoe-treated cancer patients and untreated donors to variouspreparations of mistletoe extracts. Proliferation of peripheral bloodmononuclear cells from treated but not from untreated patients wasobserved in response to therapeutically used mistletoe extracts preparedfrom apple (mali) or pine (pini) host trees. The strongest proliferationwas induced by vesicle preparation of mail extract. Using a newlydeveloped flow cytometry assay (standard cell dilution assay), wedetermined that cell gowth was restricted to CD4+ T cells. Analysis witha panel of monoclonal antibodies against variable regions of the T cellreceptor beta chain (Vbeta) revealed an oligoclonal pattern of CD4+ Tcell activation. These results indicate that therapeutic administrationof mistletoe extracts sensitized a restricted set of CD4+ T lymphocytesin mistletoe-treated patients. Lymphocytes from untreated donors areonly stimulated with heat-treated mistletoe extracts. The responding Tcells are gammadelta T cells and express variable T cell receptorelements Vgamma9 and Vgamma2. The gammadelta-stimulating activity ofheat-treated mistletoe extracts is sensitive to treatment with alkalinephosphatase but not with proteinase K, indicating that the ligands arenon-proteinaceous phosphate containing compounds.COPYRIGHT BY Elsevier Science BV, Amsterdam, Netherlands END OF DOCUMENT

Keyword(s): Medical:lymphocyte-proliferation

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