Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy & Phytopharmacology articles from October 2007

Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy & Phytopharmacology archives from October 2007

Serotonin mediates beneficial effects of Hypericum perforatum on nicotine withdrawal signs.(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Abstract Antidepressants may be effective treatment for smoking cessation and new evidence on relationship between smoking and depression is emerging. Extracts of the plant Hypericum perforatum possess antidepressant activity in humans and...

Protective roles of puerarin and Danshensu on acute ischemic myocardial injury in rats.(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Abstract Ischemic heart diseases have been the leading cause of death in both developed and developing countries over the past decades. The aim of this study was to investigate the cardioprotective effects of the complex preparation...

Bioavailability of the phenolic compounds of the fruits (drupes) of Olea europaea (olives): impact on plasma antioxidant status in humans.(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Abstract To examine the bioavailability of olive polyphenols and to correlate it with their antioxidant efficacy, plasma and urine from healthy volunteers who had consumed 20 olives were subjected to (a) GC-MS analysis for individual...

Anti-nociceptive and anti-hyperprolactinemia activities of Fructus Viticis and its effective fractions and chemical constituents.(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Abstract Vitex rotundifolia L. is widely distributed along the sea coast of China. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-nociceptive and anti-hyperprolactinemia activities of substances isolated from Fructus Viticis (the fruit...

Effects of Chamaecyparis formosensis matasumura extractives on lipopolysaccharide-induced release of nitric oxide.(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Abstract Chamaecyparis formaosensis, commonly known as Taiwan red cypress, is native to Taiwan and grows at elevations of 1500-2150 m in Taiwan's central mountains. Many compounds have been identified from different pasts of C....

Ginseng modifies the diabetic phenotype and genes associated with diabetes in the male ZDF rat.(Zucker Diabetic Fatty)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Abstract Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) and its close relative North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) are perennial aromatic herbs that are widely used in Oriental medicine and have been acclaimed to have various health benefits...

Effects of a mixture of fatty acids from sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.) wax oil in two models of inflammation: Zymosan-induced arthritis and mice tail test of psoriasis.(SHORT COMMUNICATION)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Abstract A mixture of fatty acids obtained from sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.) wax oil (FAM), in which the main constituents are palmitic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids, was evaluated in two models of inflammation:...

Protective action of honokiol, administered orally, against oxidative stress in brain of mice challenged with NMDA.(SHORT COMMUNICATION)(N-methyl-D-aspartic acid)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Abstract Neuroprotective effect of honokiol (HK), orally administered, on oxidative damage in the brain of mice challenged with N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) was examined. HK (1-100 mg/kg) was administered to Institute of Cancer Research...

Modulation of radiation-induced biochemical alterations in mice by rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis) extract.(SHORT COMMUNICATION)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Abstract Radioprotective effect of leaves extract of Rosemarinus officinalis (ROE) has been studied against 6 Gy [gamma]-radiations in the liver of Swiss albino mice at various post-irradiation intervals between 12 h and 30 days. In...

Lipid peroxidation, cyclooxygenase enzyme and tumor cell proliferation inhibitory compounds in Cornus kousa fruits.(SHORT COMMUNICATION)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Abstract The genus Cornus is well known for its medicinal properties. Bioassay-guided isolation and characterization of C. kousa fruits afforded kaempferol 3-O-rhamnoside (1), myricetin 3-O-rhamnoside (2), kaempferol 3-O-glucoside (3),...

Editorial.(Mistletoe Symposia )
October 1, 2007... This symposium is the latest in a series of Mistletoe Symposia that are held every 4 years, of which this is the fourth. This international, interdisciplinary meeting is entitled "Mistletoe in tumour therapy--basic research and clinical...

Editorial.(Editorial)
October 1, 2007... Mit diesem Symposium wird eine Reihe von Mistelsymposien fortgesetzt, die etwa alle 4 Jahre, nunmehr zum 4. Mal, stattfinden, Die internationale und inter-disziplinare Tagung steht unter dem Thema "Die Mistel in der...

1. Advances in structure elucidation of mistletoe constituents.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... It is now well accepted that lectins and viscotoxins are the main biologically active components in mistletoe and some of its therapeutic preparations. Other compounds such as polysaccharides, phenylpropanoids, triterpenoids and flavonoids are...

2. Effects of mistletoe extracts on immunocompetent cells in vitro and in vivo.
October 1, 2007... Nowadays there is no doubt any more about the effect of mistletoe extracts on immune reactions in vivo and in vitro, and it is clear that different antigens present in these extracts can modulate various cell types of the innate and the...

3. Regulatory options for Viscum album preparations.
October 1, 2007... In Germany, Viscum album preparations are used in particular therapeutic systems. Depending on the therapeutic approach it should be decided if the Viscum album preparation is intended for use in phytotherapy, in homoeopathy or in...

4. What rank has anthroposophic mistletoe therapy in modern multi-modal oncological therapy concepts? A position assessment under clinical aspects.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... There is no other area in medicine where the quality of the treatment has to rely to a greater extent on the good interdisciplinary cooperation than in medical oncology. In the course of the past years, modern multi-modal therapy concepts have...

5. Significance of lectin-standardized mistletoe therapy in oncology--a tool for the management of adverse effects.
October 1, 2007... The continous development of palliative and supportive oncological therapies in the last few years has led to a significant change in the spectrum of subjective lead symptoms of cancer patients. Some time ago mainly pain, nausae and emesis have...

6. The dual role of inflammation in cancer.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Cancer is one of the major severe human diseases and treatment options for patients are often limited. The major cause of death is metastatic disease. Recent studies have revealed a clear role for inflammation in the development and progression...

7. Systematic reviews on mistletoe in cancer--what implications for future research can be drawn?(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Mistletoe extracts (Viscum album L.) have been used in cancer treatment for 80 years. Today, it is the most widely used complementary cancer treatment in Central Europe. Its effectiveness was investigated in numerous clinical studies which,...

8. Evidence-based medicine (EbM) versus health services research: how is complementary oncology represented therein?
October 1, 2007... Oncological therapy approaches are measured by hard outcome parameters like survival time, quality of life or at best by the relation of survival time and quality of life (health-adjusted life years or quality-adjusted life years). Surrogate...

9. Influence of soil chemical factors on the cultivation of oak mistletoe (Viscum album on Quercus robur and petraea) and host-specific mineral concentrations of mistletoe extracts.
October 1, 2007... Introduction: The mistletoe Viscum album has a wide range of host trees, but is infrequent on oaks (Quercus robur and petraea). To ensure the oak mistletoe supply for Iscador[TM] production, the Verein fur Krebsforschung (Society for Cancer...

10. Biochemistry and molecular biology of mistletoe--host tree interaction and specificity.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Mistletoe extracts from different host trees have been widely used in complementary oncology. In anthroposophical mistletoe therapy the use of extracts from different host trees is recommended, depending on the nature of the tumour....

11. Chronobiological phenomena and seasonal changes in jasmonate levels during the course of the year and under constant conditions in mistletoe (Viscum album L.).
October 1, 2007... Viscum album L. is used as an anti-tumour remedy. Some compounds present in mistletoe show large seasonal variations correlating with distinct chronobiological phenomena. During the heterochronical cycle of bifurcated shoot development...

12. Viscotoxin and mistletoe lectin contents in Viscum album L.--pharmaceutical implications.
October 1, 2007... Viscotoxins (VT) and mistletoe lectins (ML) exerting antiproliferative and immunomodulatory effects are actually supposed to be the most relevant pharmacological compounds in mistletoe (Viscum album L). Reliable results on the presence and...

13. Glycan motifs of mistletoe lectins of RIP II type and biological relevance.
October 1, 2007... European Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) contains three groups of glycosylated isolectins of the RIP II typ, mistletoe lectin I ( ML I), ML II and ML III, which recognize sugars and glycoconjugates containing galactose and/or N-acetyl-galactosamine...

14. Characterization of arabinogalactan-proteins from Viscum album L. berries and herb.
October 1, 2007... Arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs), ubiquitary found in plants, belong to the hydroxyprolin-rich glycoproteins. AGPs are involved in numerous physiological plant processes (Seifert and Roberts, 2007). For AGPs, especially from Echinacea, also...

15. Formation of colloidal structures during drop impact in a pharmaceutical flow process.
October 1, 2007... From the very beginning of cancer treatment with preparations of mistletoe (Viscum album L.) in the 1920s, flow processes were used to mix plant extracts harvested at different seasons. Rudolf Steiner initiated their exploration and technical...

16. Specific targeting of liposomes functionalized with mistletoe lectin I.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Liposomes, which are spherical vehicles formed by a phospholipid bilayer, are attractive drug carriers due to their biocompatibility and capacity to carry both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs. Liposomes can be modified by coupling proteins to...

17. Aqueous mistletoe preparations with a high content of oleanolic acid and betulinic acid.
October 1, 2007... Antitumoral properties of triterpene acids like betulinic acid and oleanolic acid have been shown. Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) contains these triterpene acids at concentrations of 0.1-0.4 g/100 g fresh plant material. Nevertheless aqueous...

18. Inhibitory effects of solubilized triterpene acids from Viscum album L. on murine and human skin cell lines.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) contains triterpenes such as oleanolic acid and betulinic acid. These triterpenes are almost insoluble in water and are normally lost during the preparation of aqueous Viscum extracts. Here, we have obtained water...

19. Absence of tumour growth stimulation and cytotoxic activity of standardized mistletoe extracts in human tumour cell lines in vitro.
October 1, 2007... Mistletoe extracts are widely used in complementary and alternative cancer therapy in Europe. The extracts possess cytotoxic as well as immunostimulatory effects. However, recent reports suggested potential stimulation of tumour growth by...

20. The effect of Viscum album extract and Vincristine on the proliferation in several multiple myeloma cell lines: the function of IL-6 and IL-10 in the proliferation.(growth factors)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal B cell neoplasm. The proliferation of these malignant cells depends on cytokines. IL-6 is the most important growth factor. In first part of this study we investigated the effect of IL-6 on the...

21. Efficacy and risk estimation of subcutaneous mistletoe treatment (Viscum album L. Pini) in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
October 1, 2007... Beginning on May 1st, 1999, 191 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were accepted into a plan of treatment with Viscum album Pini (Iscador[R] P) and kept under observation for as much as over 8 years. There were 61 patients with follicular and...

22. Observation study on treatment with standardized Viscum album extracts (VA-E) in lymphocytic non-Hodgkin lymphoma (CLL): safety and course.
October 1, 2007... Background: CLL is a malignant monoclonal disorder of the lymphatic system. The VA-E treatment modulates the humoral and cellular immune system. A case report on B-cell infiltrates inherent in injection sites of a patient with leukaemic mantle...

23. Efficacy and safety of pulmonary sarcoidosis treatment with Viscum album L.: a case control analysis.
October 1, 2007... Introduction: Sarcoidosis is a chronic inflammatory multi-systemic granulomatous disease. Usually, the lungs and the hilar lymph nodes are affected. According to the ATS guidelines a systemic glucocorticoid therapy is recommended in case the...

24. Induction of apoptosis in exophytic tumour tissue and mediastinal lymph node metastases through intralesional Viscum instillation in bronchial carcinoma.
October 1, 2007... Introduction: Intralesional instillation of Viscum album L. into cancerous tissues induces partial or complete remission of exophytic growing tumours of the bronchial tract. Until now, it has not been described that apoptosis is induced by this...

25. The importance of the primary dosis in mistletoe therapy.
October 1, 2007... Immune therapy for solid tumours has made some progress over the last decades but continues to be poorly effective in clinical practice. It is well documented that tumours have robust mechanisms to disable tumour-specific immunity. In order...

26. Pharmacokinetics of mistletoe lectins--a phase I study.
October 1, 2007... Background: The pharmacokinetics of mistletoe lectins from whole plant mistletoe extracts is up to now unknown. Studies with intravenous application of a recombinant type II ribosome inactivating protein analogous to mistletoe lectin revealed a...

27. The use of mistletoe preparations in paediatric oncology--epidemiology and actual practice.
October 1, 2007... The use of mistletoe preparations (MP) in adults with cancer is very popular and one of the widely used complementary and alternative therapies in Germany. Even in paediatric oncology there is a wide use of complementary and alternative...

28. Treatment with mistletoe extract in patients with breast cancer, a feasibility study to identify surrogate parameters for further studies--design and first results: recruitment, compatibility and safety.
October 1, 2007... Purpose: The purpose of this study is the evaluation of new parameters during adjuvant or palliative treatment with a mistletoe extract which might be adequate surrogate parameters for future randomized studies for the evaluation of the...

29. Reliability, validity and mistletoe sensitivity of the German version of the cancer fatigue scale (CFS-D).
October 1, 2007... Introduction: Fatigue is one of the most important factors determining the quality of life in patients with malignancies. Cancer fatigue occurs with anaemia, during and after chemo- or radiotherapy and in patients with advanced tumours and...

30. Long-term sustainability of quality of life in advanced cancer. An explorative pilot study for 12-months after palliative treatment in an anthroposophic hospital.
October 1, 2007... Background: Stationary anthroposophic cancer care at the Lukas Klinik, (LK) Arlesheim, Switzerland increases quality of life (QoL), but long-term data on the sustainability of QoL after such care is lacking. Aim: To provide the first...

31. Quality of life in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy and concurrent therapy with a mistletoe-extract of the apple tree.
October 1, 2007... The evaluation of the influence of standardized aqueous mistletoe extracts on health related quality of life (HRQOL) of tumor patients was object of several clinical investigations in the last years. The aim of the following uncontrolled,...

32. Additional therapy with mistletoe extracts in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. A prospective randomized open label pilot study.
October 1, 2007... Context: Although mistletoe therapy often is administered during chemotherapy, only few studies were carried out to determine the benefit in quality of life and the prevention of immunosuppression in this phase of adjuvant therapy. ...

33. Viscum album extract application and the correlation between quality of life and lymphocyte subpopulations in tumour patients.
October 1, 2007... Background: In a prospective observational study we investigated the impact of 2 different dose regimes of standardized Viscum album extracts (VA-E; Iscador[R]) on the function of T lymphocytes from breast, prostate or colorectal cancer...

34. Safety and efficacy of treatment of breast cancer patients with standardized mistletoe extract: a controlled multicenter comparative cohort study.
October 1, 2007... Objectives: To investigate the safety and efficacy of complementary treatment of breast cancer patients with the standardized mistletoe extract (sME) Helixor[R] in routine practice during aftercare. Design: Multicenter comparative...

35. Effect of a perioperative infusion of mistletoe extract on surgery-induced immunosuppression in colorectal cancer patients.
October 1, 2007... Major cancer surgery suppresses immune defence mechanisms, which is potentially harmful by promoting haematogenic tumour cell dissemination. Mistletoe extracts, on the other hand, are known to stimulate various parts of the immune system...

36. Epidemiological data from the network oncology (NO); a research association for anthroposophically oriented medicine.
October 1, 2007... Introduction: The network oncology (NO) comprises of several hospitals, community health centres, GP surgeries and outpatient departments specialising in oncology and aims to collect data on tumour diagnosis, therapy and disease progression...

37. Comparison of survival time in patients with different tumour entities: retrospective efficacy investigations of mistletoe therapy vs. data of a tumour registry.
October 1, 2007... Introduction: The efficacy of mistletoe therapy on survival time of patients with different tumour diseases was investigated in five retrospective studies. The survival times of patients treated with mistletoe extracts between 1982 and 2001...

38. Treatment with a fermented mistletoe (Viscum album L.) extract as part of long-term supportive care in patients with primary non-metastatic colorectal carcinoma.
October 1, 2007... Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the fermented mistletoe extract Iscador[TM] (ISC) in the supportive care of surgically treated patients with primary non-metastatic colorectal carcinoma in comparison with a parallel control...

39. Randomized and non-randomized controlled cohort studies for the prevention of cancer with a mistletoe extract for myomas, endometrioses and cervix dysplasia.
October 1, 2007... Aim: Long-term comparative study of the preventive effect of therapy with Iscador[R] mistletoe extract, as complementary treatment to standard therapy, on the incidence of cancer and survival in female patients suffering from myomas,...

40. Self-cleavage of mistletoe lectin I into the A and B subunits by thiol-disulfide exchange reaction.
October 1, 2007... Mistletoe plant has been shown to contain three groups of lectins of therapeutical interest belonging to class II of ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIP II). The lectins ML I, ML II and ML III share the typical A-S-S-B structure of RIP II and...

41. Interaction of lectin from Viscum album L. with arabinogalactan-proteins from Echinacea purpurea L. Moench.
October 1, 2007... Today mistletoe extracts play an important role in adjuvant cancer treatment because of their immunostimulating properties. The main active components are mistletoe lectins, ribosome-inactivating proteins of type II consisting of two protein...

42. Characterisation and quantification of polysaccharides in extracts from Viscum album L. with CE-UV.(capillary electrophoresis ultraviolet detection)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Polysaccharides from Viscum album L., which are characterised as arabino-galactans, are contained in aqueous mistletoe preparations and it is known, that they have immune modulating properties. To enhance the pharmaceutical quality it is...

43. Interactions of viscotoxins with vesicles of genuine membranes of mistletoe.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... During the preparation of plant extracts by a press--slit--technique, membranes of cell walls and cell organelles of the plant material form vesicles, which are dispersed as colloids. The quantification of vesicles was established through the...

44. Long-lasting cytotoxic effects of a single application of aqueous extracts from dried Viscum album L. on bladder cancer cells in an in vitro system.
October 1, 2007... Viscum album (mistletoe) extracts are often used as a cancer therapy in the complementary medicine, with the patients reporting an improvement in quality of life upon treatment. Besides possessing immunomodulatory properties, these extracts...

45. Immuno-PCR--highly sensitive protein detection: results of the detection of native mistletoe lectin in human serum samples.(polymerase chain reaction)
October 1, 2007... Enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) is nowadays a standard laboratory technique for specific antigen detection. The Immuno-PCR (IPCR) approach links this method with the highly efficient exponential signal amplification of the PCR, thus...

46. Decrease of in vitro susceptibility of B-CLL cells of patients treated with Viscum album extract towards the applied extract.(chronic lymphoid leukemia)
October 1, 2007... Background: Extracts from Viscum album (VA-E) were recognized to induce apoptosis and indirect immuno activation. To exclude possible B-CLL propagating effects, we analysed the in vitro reactions of cultured peripheral blood B-CLL cells from...

47. Willingness for the participation in a randomized study on mistletoe treatment: results of a survey including 191 patients from a German university women's hospital.
October 1, 2007... Purpose: The purpose of this survey is to collect information about the willingness for participation in a randomized trial to study the efficacy of mistletoe treatment in breast cancer in future possible subjects. Methods: This...

48. Validation of a new scale on internal coherence (ICS) with mistletoe-sensitive questions for cancer patients.
October 1, 2007... Introduction: Current inventories on quality of life used in oncology record mainly chemotherapeutical effects (EORTC QLQ C30) or the status of rehabilitative function (SF 36). There is a lack of inventories which also record the "sense of...

49. Improvement of the palliative supportive care in pancreatic carcinoma patients with a fermented mistletoe (Viscum album L.) extract treatment.
October 1, 2007... Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the fermented mistletoe extract Iscador[TM] (ISC) in palliative supportive care of patients with pancreatic carcinoma in comparison with a parallel control group (control) without ISC. ...