• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.662-670
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• 2006

It is well documented that an extract of European mistletoe has a variety of biological effects, such as the stimulation of cytokine production from immune cells, and additional immunoadjuvant activities. While the European mistletoe has been studied intensively, we know less about Korean mistletoe as a therapeutic plant, especially as a possible immunomodulating drug. This study will investigated the effects of Korean mistletoe lectin (Viscum album L. var. coloratum agglutinin, VCA) on murine splenocytes to investigate whether VCA acts as an immunomodulator, which could lead to improved immune responses in these cells. The results showed that VCA inhibited cell proliferation at higher concentrations (at 1-8 ng/ml) and enhanced cell proliferation at lower concentrations (at 4-32 pg/ml). Further studies were carried out to determine if the pro-proliferative or anti-proliferative activity exhibited by VCA was correlated with cytokine secretion. Consequently, interferon (IFN)-$\gamma$ secretion was decreased in concanavalin A (ConA)-stimulated murine splenocytes by VCA (4-64 ng/ml), but there was no change in IL-4 levels. This suggests that VCA has the ability to modulate murine splenocyte proliferation and can possibly act on the balance of Th1/Th2 cellular immune responses.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 2005

In the present paper, the immunostimulatory effects of Korean mistletoe (Viscum album Coloratum) on the non-specific immune responses of Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) were examined. Eel were innoculated with mistletoe, Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA), or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) as a control into their peritoneal cavities. The number of nitrobule tetrazolium (NBT)-positive cells in the head kidney of fish was significantly increased by the second day post-injection of mistletoe. ROI products were more enhanced in mistletoe-injected fish kidney leucocytes than in FCA-injected ones. The level of lysozyme activity detected in the serum of fish 2 days after injection with mistletoe was also significantly higher than that found in the serum of the control fish. The appropriate concentration of mistletoe to induce the highest level of serum lysozyme activity was revealed to 1000${\mu}g$/200 g of fish. In phagocytic activity assay, mistletoe-sensitized eel kidney phagocytes captured more zymosan than did the control fish. Korean mistletoe appeared to be a good activator of the non-specific immune responses of Japanese eel.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.710-717
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• 2015

Humankind has been searching for medicinal materials from various plant sources in an attempt to treat disease. Mistletoe is one indubitable plant source for these materials due to its effectiveness in treating various diseases, but it has almost disappeared from the mountainous areas of Korea due to excessive harvesting. In this study, in order to select host tree species for Korean mistletoe [Viscum album var. coloratum (Kom.) Ohwi] by seed inoculation and to clarify the effect of host specificity among various tree species were conducted for the purpose of gaining basic information for the artificial cultivation of Korean mistletoe. Almost all the seeds of Korean mistletoe germinated in vitro at the temperature of 15℃. Among host trees used in this study, Prunus mume showed the highest parasitic affinity with inoculated Korean mistletoe, compared with any other host plants. However, treatment of hormones could not increase the low survival rate of Korean mistletoe on the host trees.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.34 no.3 s.134
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• pp.218-222
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• 2003

The mistletoe lectins are major active components in the extrct of Viscum album var. coloratum. This study was performed to investigate the anti- skin cancer effect of Korean mistletoe extract intensified with mistletoe lectin (KI 2103S). B16F10 melanoma cells were allografted in C57BL/6 mice and F344 rats. The effect of KI 2103S on melanoma was measured by monitoring tumor index. The KI 2103S was injected intra-tumorally and tumor index was decreased in dose dependent manner.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.118-126
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• 2004

The aqueous extract of European mistletoe (Viscum album, L.) has been used in cancer therapy. The purified mistletoe lectins, main components of mistletoe, have demonstrated cytotoxic and immune-system-stimulating activities. Korean mistletoe (Viscum album L. coloratum), a subspecies of European mistletoe, has also been reported to possess anticancer and immunological activities. A galactose- and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine-specific lectin (Viscum album L. coloratum agglutinin, VCA) with Mr 60 kDa was isolated from Korean mistletoe. Mistletoe preparations have been given subcutaneously due to the low stability of lectin in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In the present study, we investigated the possibility of alginate/chitosan microcapsules as a tool for oral delivery of mistletoe lectin. In addition, our strategy has been to develop a system composed of stabilizing cores (granules), which contain mistletoe lectin, extract or powder, coated by a biodegradable polymer wall. Our results indicated that successful incorporation of VCA into alginate/chitosan microcapsules has been achieved and that the alginate/chitosan microcapsule protected the VCA from degradation at acidic pH values. And coating the VCA with polyacrylic polymers, Eudragit, produced outstanding results with ideal release profiles and only minimal losses of cytotoxicity after manufacturing step. The granules prepared with extract or whole plant produced the best results due to the stability in the extract or whole plant during manufacturing process.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 2012

This study was carried out to understand the anatomical characteristics of Korean mistletoe (Viscum album var. coloratum) and host tree of Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica) by the aid of light and scanning electron microscopy. The branch diameter of host tree at the parasitic part by mistletoe is larger than that of non-parasitic part. In the mistletoe, phloem consists of bast fiber and parenchyma cell and xylem is composed of fiber, ray and axial parenchyma cell, and vascular tracheid. The volume of ray parenchyma cell is higher than common wood species and is heterocellular made up of procumbent, upright, and square cells in the mistletoe. In the vascular tracheid of mistletoe, coarse spiral thickenings and bordered pit are present. Due to the insertion of the mistletoe haustorium, some deformed vessels but no tylosis are observed in the mistletoe. The shapes of mistletoe haustorium are sharp, and the destruction of the host tree cells due to the insertion of the mistletoe haustorium are not identified.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.287-292
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• 2009

Recently, the consumption of mistletoe[Viscum album var. coloratum(Kom.) Ohwi] is increasing because of its good medical effectiveness with the increased concern on the natural medicines and foods. The result obtained from the investigation on the stem tissues of the mistletoe and the oriental chestnut oak, a host plant species, are as follows. Haustorium from the seeds of the mistletoe after their sticking to the branches of the host plant penetrates into the bark where it forms the endophyte system through the active cell division. The endophyte grown in the cambium of the host plant makes the stems and leaves as the outer tissues in a certain time. Even through lignification of the host wood in the branches the oriental chestnut oak was not progressive, its tylosis coas developed partially assembly due to the formation of the endophyte. The stems of the mistletoe consisted of vascular tracheid, selereid, and ray and axial parenchyma, classified as a hardwood without vessels. The vascular tracheids seemed to take a role instead of the vessels in the mistletoe plant from the result that the pits of the vessels in the host branches are linked to the vessel-form tracheid in the mistletoe stems. The constituent ratio of the sclereid cells in the mistletoe stems increased with aging. Furthermore their ratio of the parenchyma cells was higher, which contained the more cell content, compared with the cells of the general woody plant species.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.215-224
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• 2006

In order to search the availability of the lectin extracted from Korean mistletoe(Viscum album coloratum) as an adjuvant for the avian vaccines, attempts were made to determine toxicity of the lectin in chicks and its immunostimulating activity on the inactivated vaccines against Newcastle disease virus(NDV). For the determination of toxicity, the lectin was injected into the thigh muscle of SPF chicks(Charles River) of 1-week-old and observed hematologically and pathologically. For the determination of immunostimulating effects, lectin-adjuvanted, inactivated NDV vaccines were injected into the thigh muscle of SPF chicks in the same age group. Sera of the chicks were examined for the hemagglutination-inhibition(HI) antibodies induced, their HI titers and reaction to the NDV antigens. The data were further compared with those from aluminum hydroxide [$Al(OH)_3$]-adjuvanted vaccines and vaccines without adjuvant, and the results are as follows. There were no significant changes observed in the values of RBC, WBC, Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH, MCHC, AST, ALT, BUN, creatinine and total proteins in the chicks administered with lectin of 1.1, 2.2 and $22.2{\mu}g/kg$ body weight, which means the lectin has no effects on blood values and functions of liver and kidney. In histopathologic observation, no lesions were observed in the brain, heart, liver, lung, spleen, kidney, thymus and bursa of Fabricius of the chicks administered with lectin of 1.1, 2.2 and $22.2{\mu}g/kg$ body weight. There were inflammatory lesions, such as congestion, hemorrhage, edema, infiltration of macrophages and coagulation necrosis observed in the thigh muscle of chicks administered with lectin of $22.2{\mu}g/kg$ body weight, whereas no changes were observed in 1.1 and $22.2{\mu}g/kg$ lectin administered chicks. In chicks immunized with lectin($4.4{\mu}g/kg$ of body weight)-adjuvanted B1, LaSota and Ulster 2C vaccines, HI titers in reciprocal values for $log_2$ were 1.8-2.2 at 1 week after vaccination, which was similar with those of 1.5-2.9 by $Al(OH)_3$-adjuvanted vaccines. The HI titers by the lectin-adjuvanted vaccines reached to 3.9-5.3 at 4 weeks, whereas those by the $Al(OH)_3$-adjuvanted vaccines were more high as 7.3-9.3. Meanwhile, the immunostimulating effects of the lectin were recognized while compared to the HI titers with 2.4-3.7 in chicks immunized with vaccines without adjuvants at 4 weeks after vaccination. The chicks immunized with lectin-adjuvanted vaccines were enough to resist challenges by Kyojeongwon strain, a very virulent NDV at 4 weeks after vaccination as well as chicks immunized with $Al(OH)_3$-adjuvanted vaccines. The HI titers by the lectin-adjuvanted vaccines reached to high level as 8.7-10.3 as those with 8.2-9.6 by the $Al(OH)_3$-adjuvanted vaccines at 6 weeks after vaccination, which may be the booster effects by the challenge virus. Antibodies specific to the HN and F antigens of NDV were observed in the sera of both chicks immunized with lectin-adjuvanted vaccines and $Al(OH)_3$-adjuvanted vaccines.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Fisheries Technology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.517-518
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.215.2-216
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• 2003

Velutin and betulinic acid were isolated as a cytotoxic principle from the dichloromethane extract of Korean mistletoe (Viscum album var. coloratum) by repeated silicagel chromatography and recrystallization. In in vitro analysis of cytotoxic activity using NIH-3T3 cells, dichloromethane extract of Korean mistletoe was shown to be highly cytotoxic against tumor cells. And we obtained active compound (reffered to VD-2 and VD-6) from the dichloromethane extract. (omitted)