• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.7 no.2_3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2013

Mistletoe (Viscum album) has been widely used as a functional food material for various therapeutic purposes from ancient time. In this study, we examined anti-diabetic and cytotoxic activities of heated-treated mistletoe and the effects of gamma-irradiation on its activities. Heat-treated mistletoe extract was prepared by heating during different time (3, 6, 9 and 12 h) and gamma-irradiated with different doses of 0, 10, 30, 50, 70 and 100 kGy. Heat-treated mistletoe extracts showed a concentration-dependent cytotoxicity on rat insulinoma RINm5F cells and the effect was gradually decreased as heating time increased up to 12 h. 12 h heat-treated extract was no cytotoxic. Gamma-irradiation enhanced the reduction of heat-treated mistletoe-induced cytotoxicity and the decreasing effect was an irradiating dose-dependent. In particular, all of 70 kGy irradiated and heat-treated mistletoe extracts did not showed the cytotoxicity and the effect was comparable to 12 h heat-treated mistletoe extract. Among those extracts, 3 h heat-treated mistletoe extract gradually increased the insulin secreting activity by gamma-irradiation and the effect was the best at 70 kGy, whereas 12 heat-treated extract was no effect. On the test of ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity, 3 h heat-treated mistletoe extract showed the concentration dependent effects and gamma-irradiation induced more activity at 70 kGy, compared to non-irradiated 3 h and 12 h heated mistletoe extracts. These results suggest that the combination of heat treatment and gamma-irradiation might be more effective than only heat-treatment for improving the anti-diabetic activity of mistletoe extract and reducing its cytotoxicity.