The impact of extract of mistletoe on tumour cells and hemostasis of human plasma

Abstract

Background: The plant Viscum album (Mistletoe) is a known source of biologically active substances, used in traditional medicine in Europe and Asia.Aim: The goal was to study cytotoxic/cytostatic effect of mistletoe extract on tumour and normal cells and its influences on certain proteins of the blood coagulation system.Setting: Mistletoe was collected in Ukraine in November 2020.Methods: Water extract of V. album, both leaves and stems, was obtained and fractionated; it was characterised using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry and tested on cancer cells and blood plasma.Results: Extract demonstrated the presence of viscotoxins and carbohydrates and thermolabile compounds that enhance the activity of thrombin and factor X in plasma in the presence of calcium ions and increased the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) by 2.7 times. The cytotoxic/cytostatic action of the mistletoe fractions, the total extract and the fraction 10 000 Da were higher in relation to Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells than with Vero cells. The IC50 of total extract for LLC cells was 35% (p 0.05) lower than that for Vero cells (1.12 ± 0.2 and 1.71 ± 0.15 mg/ml). Thus, the IC50 of the fraction 10 000 Da for LLC cells was more than by 44% (p 0.05) lower than that for Vero cells (2.07 ± 0.26 and 3.67 ± 0.41 mg/ml).Conclusion: It was shown that both extracts exhibited a cytotoxic/cytostatic effect, more pronounced against tumour cells than normal cells and enhanced the clotting of blood plasma by thermolabile compounds by facilitating plasma coagulation.Contribution: This research makes it possible to study mistletoe as a light and cheap anticancer therapy plant and cure blood coagulopathy or construct antibleeding bandages.