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Over 160 cases of pleura carcinosis were treated systematically by local intrapleural instillation of Iscador, and the results were documented by cytomorphological examination of the punctate. The results show that, under these conditions, Iscador has two distinct activities, i.e. cytotoxic activity and immunostimulating activity.

Endophytic fungi represent a valuable source of bioactive compounds, with their metabolite production often shaped by host plants. Notably, endophytic from parasitic plants, such as mistletoe, remain relatively underexplored. This study aimed to isolation and evaluation the antioxidant and antibacterial potential of endophytic fungi associated with mango mistletoe (Dendrophthoe pentandra) and tea mistletoe (Scurrula atropurpurea). A total of 11 fungal isolates were obtained from mistletoe organs, including leaves, stems, flowers, and petioles. All isolates underwent liquid fermentation for 14-21 days to yield fungal extracts. Antioxidant activity was measured using the DPPH radical scavenging method with ascorbic acid as a standard, while antibacterial effects against Escherichia coli were assessed by the disc diffusion method with chloramphenicol as a positive control. Five isolates EFPM 1, EFPM 2, EFPM 3, EFFM, and EFSM 2 exhibited antioxidant activity, though relatively weak compared to ascorbic acid. In contrast, EFSM 2, EFPM 1, EFLT 1 & 2 displayed measurable antibacterial activity, with inhibition zones ranging from 6.26 to 11.95 mm, lower than chloramphenicol. These findings collectively demonstrate the value of bioprospecting endophytic fungi from mango and tea mistletoe, highlighting their potential as a natural source of therapeutic compounds for the discovery of new drugs.

Mango mistletoe leaves (Dendrophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq) are parasitic plants traditionally used as medicine due to their secondary metabolites and strong antioxidant activity. This study aimed to determine the total phenolic content and assess the effect of concentration on absorbance values using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, as a specific parameter for the development of herbal products. The research included sample preparation, extraction, preparation of gallic acid standards (10, 15, 20, and 25 ppm), and measurement of absorbance at 764 nm. Ethanol extracts of mango mistletoe leaves were evaluated at concentrations of 100, 200, 300, and 1000 ppm. The gallic acid standard curve showed a regression coefficient of R 2 = 0.994, confirming its reliability. The total phenolic content obtained was 77.19 ± 0.44 mg/mL (100 ppm), 125.05 ± 0.45 mg/mL (200 ppm), 159.58 ± 2.00 mg/mL (300 ppm), and 228.73 ± 33.06 mg/mL (1000 ppm). The results demonstrated that phenolic content increased proportionally with concentration. In conclusion, mango mistletoe leaves contain significant levels of phenolic compounds, supporting their potential as a raw material for herbal products with vigorous antioxidant activity and fulfilling the criteria as a parameter for herbal product development.

Living organisms require specific levels of heavy metals. However, excessive exposure to heavy metals, which accumulate in plants over time, can damage cells and organs. Due to these harmful effects, heavy metal toxicity has become a significant concern. In this context, as part of the development of mango mistletoe leaf herbal products, this study aims to measure the concentrations of Pb, Cu, Fe, Zn, and Cr in mango mistletoe leaf extracts using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). This technique detects heavy metals based on their unique absorption of electromagnetic radiation at specific wavelengths. To conduct this analysis, samples were prepared by wet destruction with HNO 3 and HCl (1:3), followed by digestion at 150°C to isolate the atoms. The results showed average concentrations of Pb (0.615 ± 0.045 mg/kg), Cu (0.168 ± 0.007 mg/kg), Fe (0.492 ± 0.063 mg/kg), Zn (0.243 ± 0.010 mg/kg), and Cr (0.156 ± 0.011 mg/kg). Notably, the highest average was for Pb (0.615 ± 0.045 mg/kg), followed by Fe (0.492 ± 0.063 mg/kg) and then Zn (0.243 ± 0.010 mg/kg). In conclusion, the herbal tea made from mistletoe leaves remains within the safety limits set by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency.

Associational effects are a phenomenon in which herbivore damage on co-occurring plant species is influenced by neighboring plants. Mistletoes are a group of shrubs that obtain nutrients from host plants through haustoria. Despite the potential for mistletoe herbivory to be affected by associational effects with their hosts, the effects of host and mistletoe functional traits on mistletoe herbivory have been largely overlooked. This study aimed to evaluate the associational effects of host plants and the direct effects of mistletoe functional traits on mistletoe herbivory. To achieve this, we measured leaf herbivory and leaf traits of three mistletoe species (Dendrophthoe pentandra, Scurrula chingii var. yunnanensis, and Helixanthera parasitica) and their associated 11 host species during both dry and wet seasons. Our results showed that leaf herbivory of D. pentandra and S. chingii var. yunnanensis differed significantly on their respective host species, but H. parasitica did not. The relationships between mistletoe and the paired host herbivory differed between seasons, with a stronger positive relationship observed during the dry season. Furthermore, significant relationships were observed between paired leaf carbon, leaf nitrogen, and condensed tannin in mistletoes and their host plants, indicating that host plants can affect mistletoes' leaf functional traits. A group of mistletoe leaf traits provided significant predictions for leaf herbivory: leaves with higher leaf thickness and leaf total nitrogen showed higher herbivory. Overall, our study reveals that mistletoe leaf herbivory is directly affected by its leaf traits and indirectly affected by host associational effects, primarily through changes in mistletoes' leaf traits.

Mexican mistletoe (Psittacanthus calyculatus) is an ecologically and pharmacologically relevant hemiparasitic plant whose phytochemical composition varies according to host, organ, and processing. This study analyzed the pericarp, flower, leaf, and peduncle in fresh and freeze-dried conditions. The samples were collected from Forestiera phillyreoides and Mimosa sp. High-performance thin-layer chromatography revealed the presence of malvidin-3-O-glucoside (27.43 ± 1.88 mg/g dry weight [DW]) in freeze-dried pericarps, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (26.55 ± 1.19 mg/g DW) in freeze-dried flowers, and rutin (5.39 ± 1.24 mg/g DW) in freeze-dried leaves collected from Mimosa sp. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) confirmed the presence of gallic acid (40.40 ± 0.228 mg/g DW in freeze-dried pericarps of Mimosa sp.), which was 42.9% higher than the amount found in F. phillyreoides plants. Regarding antioxidant activity, freeze-dried mistletoe pericarps collected from Mimosa sp. exhibited the highest capacity (85.7–94.9% DPPH· and ABTS·+ inhibition, respectively). For α-glucosidase inhibition, the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of freeze-dried flowers and pericarps were low (84–85 μg/mL), comparable to acarbose (62 μg/mL). Freeze-drying increased metabolite concentration by up to 54% for gallic acid in the pericarp of plants collected from Mimosa sp. and enhanced bioactivity. Overall, Mexican mistletoe is established as a nutraceutical source with therapeutic potential and sustainable use value.

Purpose Mistletoe treatment in cancer patients is controversial, and a Cochrane review concluded that due to heterogeneity, performing a meta-analysis was not suitable. However, several systematic reviews included meta-analyses in favor of mistletoe. The aim of this work was to assess the influence of the methodological quality of controlled studies on the results of a meta-analysis regarding overall survival. Methods Between April and August 2022, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PsycINFO, CINAHL and Web of Science were systematically searched. In addition, reference lists of previously published meta-analyses were checked for relevant publications. A random effects meta-analysis with clustering was performed. The risk of bias within the studies was assessed using ROB 2.0 and ROBINS-I. Results The search identified 4685 hits, and 28 publications reporting on 28 298 patients were included in the quantitative analysis. Overall, the analysis led to a significant result in favor of mistletoe therapy (overall HR = 0.61 with 95% CI [0.53;0.7]). According to our subgroup analysis of randomized studies, studies of higher quality (lower risk of bias) did not lead to a significant result in favor of mistletoe therapy (HR = 0.78; CI = [0.30; 2.00]). Conclusions In the case of mistletoe therapy, the results of the meta-analysis strongly depended on the methodological quality of the included studies. Calculating meta-analyses that include low-quality studies may lead to severe misinterpretation of the data.

Purpose Cancer-related fatigue remains one of the most prevalent and distressing symptoms experienced by cancer patients. Effective treatments for cancer-related fatigue are needed. The objective of this meta-analysis is to determine the impact of mistletoe extracts as a pharmacological treatment for the management of cancer-related fatigue. Methods We included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies of interventions (NRSIs) in cancer patients. Inclusion criteria were cancer-related fatigue severity or prevalence as an outcome and testing of mistletoe extracts compared to control groups. We searched Medline (EuropePMC), Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Clinicaltrials.gov, and opengrey.org through October 2020. We assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias tools for RCTs and NRSIs and conducted a meta-analysis. Results We performed one meta-analysis with 12 RCTs, including 1494 participants, and one meta-analysis with seven retrospective NRSIs, including 2668 participants. Heterogeneity between the studies was high in both meta-analyses. Most studies had a high risk of bias. A random-effects model showed for RCTs a standardized mean difference of –0.48 (95% confidence interval –0.82 to –0.14; p  = 0.006) and for NRSIs an odds ratio of 0.36 (95% confidence interval 0.20 to 0.66; p  = 0.0008). Conclusion Treatment with mistletoe extracts shows a moderate effect on cancer-related fatigue of similar size to physical activity. These results need to be confirmed by more placebo-controlled trials. Future trials should investigate different treatment durations and their effect on cancer-related fatigue in post-treatment cancer survivors. Trial registration. This meta-analysis has been registered under the PROSPERO registration number CRD42020191967 on October 7, 2020.

Herbal medicine is now globally accepted as a valid alternative system of pharmaceutical therapies. Various studies around the world have been initiated to develop scientific evidence-based herbal therapies. Recently, the therapeutic potential of medicinal plant derived miRNAs has attracted great attraction. MicroRNAs have been indicated as new bioactive ingredients in medicinal plants. However, the stability of miRNAs during the herbal preparation process and their bioavailability in humans remain unclear. Viscum album L. (European mistletoe) has been widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Our previous study has indicated the therapeutic potential of mistletoe miRNAs by using bioinformatics tools. To evaluate the stability of these miRNAs, various mistletoe extracts that mimic the clinical medicinal use as well as traditional folk medicinal use were prepared. The mistletoe miRNAs including miR166a-3p, miR159a, miR831-5p, val-miR218 and val-miR11 were quantified by stem-loop qRT-PCR. As a result, miRNAs were detectable in the majority of the extracts, indicating that consumption of medicinal plant preparations might introduce miRNAs into mammals. The factors that might cause miRNA degradation include ultrasonic treatment, extreme heat, especially RNase treatment, while to be associated with plant molecules (e.g., proteins, exosomes) might be an efficient way to protect miRNAs against degradation. Our study confirmed the stability of plant derived miRNAs during herb preparations, suggesting the possibility of functionally intact medicinal plant miRNAs in mammals.

Background: Mistletoe extracts (ME) are used in integrative cancer care to improve quality of life and to prolong survival. ME are available from different producers and differ in pharmaceutical processing, such as fermentation. In contrast to fermented ME, the impact of unfermented extracts on the survival of cancer patients has not yet been assessed in a meta-analysis. Methods: We searched the databases Embase, CENTRAL, Europe PMC, Clinicaltrials.gov, Opengrey and Google Scholar, and selected controlled studies on cancer patients treated with non-fermented ME. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies of intervention (NRSIs). The risk of bias was assessed with Cochrane’s ROB2 and ROBINS-I; a meta-analysis was conducted. Results: Eleven RCTs and eight NRSIs met the inclusion criteria. The studies were heterogeneous and their ROB2 and ROBINS-I displayed a moderate and high risk of bias, respectively. For RCTs, the pooled effect estimate of non-fermented ME on survival was HR = 0.81 (95% CI 0.69-0.95, P = .01). Subgroup analyses as well as the NRSIs estimation support the robustness of the finding. When active comparators are added to the analysis, the effect estimates become non-significant. Conclusion: The results may indicate a positive impact of non-fermented ME on the overall survival of cancer patients. High quality RCTs are necessary to substantiate our results. Prospero Registration: CRD42021233177