Investigation of the antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of Viscum album (mistletoe) extracts
Acta Pharmaceutica Sciencia, cilt.64, sa.4, ss.519-536, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 64 Sayı: 4
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.23893/1307-2080.aps64027
- Dergi Adı: Acta Pharmaceutica Sciencia
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, EMBASE
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.519-536
- Anahtar Kelimeler: antifungal, antimicrobial, cytotoxic effect, HeLa cells, Viscum album (mistletoe)
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- İstanbul Üniversitesi-Cerrahpaşa Adresli: Evet
Özet
The increasing resistance to antibiotics in the fight against infections, coupled with the rising incidence of cancer, has intensified interest in investigating plant-based antimicrobial agents with potential anticancer properties. Viscum album (mistletoe), which parasitizes host trees, has anticancer, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antiviral and antimicrobial effects. The toxicity of the active substances in different V. album samples depends on the type of host tree and the geographical location of the plant. This study investigated the in vitro antimicrobial properties of ethanolic, and aqueous extracts derived from the leaves and stems of V. album on specific bacterial and fungal species, as well as their cytotoxic potential on cancer cells. The findings revealed that these extracts demonstrated differing levels of antibacterial effects against multiple Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species. Notably, the V. album ethanolic stem extracts were found to have a stronger inhibitory effect on B. subtilis (1.2 mg/mL) and B. cereus (2.4 mg/mL) compared to other extracts. Furthermore, V. album extracts were found to exhibit cytotoxic effects against HeLa cells. Based on these findings, the natural components contained in the V. album plant may represent a potential source of antimicrobial and anticancer agents. Unlike previous studies, this work provides a comparative evaluation of solvent-and tissue-dependent biological activity profiles of V. album extracts obtained from a single host species.