title: Cytokine release of whole blood from adult female donors challenged with mistletoe lectin-1 standardised mistletoe extract and E. coli endotoxin or phytohaemagglutinin (PHA).
abstract: Cytokine (TNF, alpha, interleukin-6) release of whole blood from healthy donors was challenged with mistletoe extract standardised for mistletoe lectin-1 (sML) and control substances (E. coli endotoxin; phytohaemagglutinin). The rationale of this investigation was non-proven warnings that pro-inflammatory cytokines induce by the application of standardised mistletoe lectins may induce tumor cell proliferation. These investigations provided evidence that non-cytotoxic concentrations of sML did not induced enhanced TNFa or interleukin-6 secretion compared to non-challenged control cells. Cytotoxic concentrations of sML, however, induced significantly higher cytokine levels than the control, obviously due to non-physiological stimuli. Immunomodulation with clinically relevant, low-dose sML incubation did not induce proinflammatory cytokine secretion in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Scientific Research of Natural Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany. matthias.braun@medizin.uni-koeln.de
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Blackwell
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Weir
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beuth
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010940:Plant Proteins; D054790:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D004731:Endotoxins; D015850:Interleukin-6; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D028321:Plant Preparations; D010940:Plant Proteins; D054790:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2; D014118:Toxins, Biological; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C009674:ribosome inactivating protein, Viscum