Trial reportBMC complementary and alternative medicine2011
Safety and effects of two mistletoe preparations on production of Interleukin-6 and other immune parameters - a placebo controlled clinical trial in healthy subjects.
Trial report in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01378702 (Safety and Immunological Effects of Iscucin Populi and Viscum Mali e Planta Tota in Healthy Volunteers), which is not on this map. Cited by 16 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Safety and Immunological Effects of Iscucin Populi and Viscum Mali e Planta Tota in Healthy Volunteers
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic analysis of mistletoe prescriptions in clinical studies.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Pooled it
- Influencing Factors and Effects of Treatment on Quality of Life in Patients With Gastric Cancer-A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Effect of Flavonoids on Upper Respiratory Tract Infections and Immune Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2016Pooled it
- Quality of life, immunomodulation and safety of adjuvant mistletoe treatment in patients with gastric carcinoma - a randomized, controlled pilot study.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2012Trial
- Phytonutrient Profiles of Mistletoe and Their Values and Potential Applications in Ethnopharmacology and Nutraceuticals: A Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Phase I Trial of Intravenous Mistletoe Extract in Advanced Cancer.Cancer research communications · 2023Article
- Biological activity of mistletoe: in vitro and in vivo studies and mechanisms of action.Archives of pharmacal research · 2020Review
- Mistletoe and Immunomodulation: Insights and Implications for Anticancer Therapies.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2019Review
- Safety of intravenously applied mistletoe extract - results from a phase I dose escalation study in patients with advanced cancer.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2017Article
- Viscum album neutralizes tumor-induced immunosuppression in a human in vitro cell model.PloS one · 2017Article
- Parasitic Mistletoes of the Genera Scurrula and Viscum: From Bench to Bedside.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2016Review
- Emerging roles of mistletoes in malignancy management.3 Biotech · 2014Article
- Adverse Drug Reactions and Expected Effects to Therapy with Subcutaneous Mistletoe Extracts (Viscum album L.) in Cancer Patients.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2014Article
- Mistletoe lectin has a shiga toxin-like structure and should be combined with other Toll-like receptor ligands in cancer therapy.Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII · 2013Article
- New Therapy for Chronic Sarcoidosis withJournal of evidence-based integrative medicineArticle
- Use and Safety of Viscum album L Applications in Cancer Patients With Preexisting Autoimmune Diseases: Findings From the Network Oncology Study.Integrative cancer therapiesArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn Germany, Iscucin® Populi (IP), a preparation from mistletoe growing on the poplar tree, is used in cancer therapy while Viscum Mali e planta tota (VM), a preparation from mistletoe growing on the apple tree, is used in patients with osteoarthritis. Since mistletoe preparations are suspected to induce production of potentially tumor promoting cytokines like interleukin (IL)-6, further studies on the immunological effects are of interest.
methodsIn this 3-armed randomized, double blind clinical trial healthy volunteers received increasing doses of either IP (strength F, 0.0125%, G, 0.25% and H, 5%, each for 4 weeks), or VM (1:1000 [D3], 1:100 [D2] and 2% each for 4 weeks) or placebo (isotonic solution) subcutaneously twice per week over a period of 12 weeks. Physical examination was performed weekly. Routine laboratory parameters and immunological parameters (C-reactive protein (CRP), differential blood count, lymphocyte subsets, immunoglobulins, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α) were analysed every 4 weeks.
results71 subjects were included in the study (IP = 30, VM = 21, placebo = 20) of whom 69 concluded it according to protocol. Application of IP strengths G and H caused strong local reactions at the site of injection. In parallel, a distinct eosinophilia (p < 0.001 compared to placebo) occurred. Furthermore, application of all IP concentrations resulted in an increase of CD4 cell counts (p < 0.05) compared to placebo. Stimulation of IL-6 production, CRP or relevant deviations in other laboratory parameters were not observed. Because of local reactions, IP strengths G and H were considered less tolerable than placebo. VM 2% was slightly less tolerable than placebo, caused only mild local reactions and an only small increase in eosinophile counts.
conclusionTreatment with IP results in eosinophilia and an increase of CD4 cells but not in an increase of IL-6 or CRP. No safety concerns regarding the two mistletoe preparations have been raised by this study. EudraCT-Number 2007-002166-35.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01378702.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.