The Gorter Model
Mistletoe and its history in research and clinical applications:
Mistletoe (Viscum album; three years old plant)
Mistletoe (Viscum album) is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. These plants attach to and penetrate the branches of a tree through which they absorb water and nutrients from the host plant.
The host tree does not suffer from mistletoe: in the contrary, an older olive tree for instance will bear more olives again after a mistletoe bush has been attached to the tree. The olive tree goes through a long-lasting juvination (“anti-aging”) process. In Humans, it has been demonstrated by several researches that Viscum album improves DNA repair mechanisms 3 to 8-fold and increases the length of telomeres which explains the significant “anti-aging” effects of this plant. Patients taking Viscum album have a significantly longer life expectancy and more and more clinical studies show that the mistletoe plant applied as a medication protects significantly against the immunosuppressive effects caused by 5G and 6G technology.
Anthroposophic community hospital in Herdecke (Germany) and one of the teaching hospitals of the University of Witten-Herdecke with 550 beds and 1.000+ employees.
Anthroposophic ambulatory specialty clinics for
the larger area of Nordrhein/Westfalen
Anthroposophic
General Hospital with adjacent buildings in Herdecke during the winter
Havelhöhe community teaching hospital in Berlin-Havelhöhe is an acute care hospital with 350 beds and 590+ employees. It is one of the four major acute Anthroposophical hospitals in Germany that offer not only modern emergency medicine for the regional population, but also the additional treatment possibilities of Anthroposophical Medicine including all specialties.
The entrance
and waiting area of general anthroposophical hospital Filderklinik, close to
Stuttgart, Germany
Medical team for Internal Medicine
Team for Physical Therapy Filder Klinik
Anthroposophical Hospital in Arlesheim-Basel, Switzerland
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (colloquially MD Anderson Cancer Center) is one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers in the United States established by the National Cancer Act of 1971. It is both a degree-granting academic institution and a cancer treatment and research center located at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, United States. It is one of the few hospitals in the United States affiliated with two major research based medical schools: The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, which is a part of the larger University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and Baylor College of Medicine. Over the past 12 years, including 2013, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in the “Best Hospitals” survey published in U.S. News & World Report. MD Anderson is widely regarded as the best cancer hospital for traditional (standard) therapies in the United States.
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, US, is a health sciences university that creates and applies science and discoveries to further education, healthcare and community service locally and globally. It includes a medical school, Baylor College of Medicine, which is one of the leading research-intensive medical schools in the country; the Baylor College of Medicine Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; the Baylor College of Medicine School of Allied Health Sciences; and the Baylor College of Medicine National School of Tropical Medicine.
Baylor College of Medicine
The medical school has been consistently considered in
the top-tier of programs in the country. Its Graduate School of Biomedical
Sciences is among the top 30 graduate schools in the United States. The
National School of Tropical Medicine is the only school in the nation dedicated
exclusively to patient care, research, education and policy related to
neglected tropical diseases.
Baylor College of Medicine and teaching hospital (established in 1900)
Recently, researchers like Sen Pathak, PhD, at MD Anderson Medical Center in Houston, TX, USA, and others (like Peter Lansdorp, MD, PhD, UK) found that indeed also mammals and humans undergo “anti-aging” when given Mistletoe preparations as an injectable; if applied for at least eight to twelve weeks. It was striking and statistically significant that especially in the elderly patient and volunteers, more telomeres in their peripheral white blood cells appeared. The numbers of telomeres determine the life span of a cell. Essentially, at each cell division, a compartment of the telomere is lost (sacrificed). Shortening and the eventually loss of telomeres is correlated with aging and consequent death.
Sen J. Pathak, Professor Emeritus, Cancer Biology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
A telomere is a region of repetitive nucleotide sequences at each end of a chromatid, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration or from fusion with neighboring chromosomes. During chromosome replication, the enzymes that duplicate DNA cannot continue their duplication all the way to the end of a chromosome, so in each duplication the end of the chromosome is shortened (this is because the synthesis of Okazaki fragments requires RNA primers attaching ahead on the lagging strand). The telomeres are disposable buffers at the ends of chromosomes which are truncated during cell division; their presence protects the genes before them on the chromosome from being truncated instead.
Schematic presentation of a telomere
Over time, due to each cell division, the telomere end
becomes shorter and shorter. They are replenished by an enzyme, called Telomerase.
Interestingly, certain components of the mistletoe (glycoproteins) protect and
even prolong telomeres again and seem to be able to replenish telomeres better
then telomerase.
Human chromosomes (grey) capped by telomeres
(white)
Peter Lansdorp, MD, PhD. Professor, Medicine, University of British Columbia (UBC)
The parenteral use of mistletoe extract in the treatment of cancer originated with Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), the founder of Anthroposophy and with the Dutch physician Ita Wegman (1876-1943).
NB: Shortening of Leukocyte Telomeres Associated With Increased All-Cause and Breast Cancer-Specific Mortality in Breast Cancer Patients (Catherine Duggan, et al.; 2014)
Short telomeres are associated with increased risk of cancer, but data on telomere length and mortality in breast cancer survivors are inconsistent. In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Duggan et al found that decreases in telomere length between baseline and 30 months after diagnosis were associated with significantly increased all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality.
(Catherine Duggan, PhD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is the corresponding author for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute article.
The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, University of New Mexico, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and California Department of Health Services).
Also other studies and observations strongly suggest that shortening of telomeres are strongly correlated with outcome and survival in all cancer patients.
Mistletoe does not only induce effectively 3 to 8 times DNA repair after chemotherapy and radiation but also repair and increase the length of telomeres.
Viscum album (VA) extract as an immunomodulator was tested in an in vitro model to investigate DNA repair in damaged peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of ten breast cancer patients. The cells were exposed by gamma rays or 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide (4-HCy). Two hours after exposure the following were measured, without or with VA extract (1) DNA repair using the alkaline sucrose gradient for the sedimentation of DNA strand breaks, (2) DNA-gamma-production in the supernatant of the cultured cells. The VA extract led to an improvement of DNA repair in gamma-ray or 4-HCy damaged PBMC and to a significant increase of the IFN-gamma-production both in undamaged and in damaged cells. The results indicate that the VA extract affects positively DNA repair in PBMC damaged by two different agents and suggest that an increased IFN-gamma-production plays an important role in the DNA repair process. Published in Phytother Res. 2002 Mar;16(2):143-7
NB: Improvement of DNA repair in lymphocytes of breast cancer patients treated with Viscum album extract (Iscador). E Kovacs, T Hajto, K Hostanska
Kovacs et al. investigated alteration in DNA repair during therapy with an immunomodulator. 14 patients with advanced breast cancer were treated parenterally with Iscador, an aqueous extract of Viscum album (mistletoe). As a parameter for measurement of DNA repair the incorporation of (3H) thymidine into DNA of unstimulated lymphocytes after ultra violet light (UV) damage was taken. The DNA repair values in the patients were very low before treatment and on day 1: on average 16% of those in a healthy control population. Values started to increase on day 2 and on days 7-9 were on average 2.7 times higher than before treatment. 12/14 patients showed significant improvement in DNA repair. The values of spontaneous DNA synthesis were not altered during the treatment. We suggest that the increase of DNA repair could be due to a stimulation of repair enzymes by lymphokines or cytokines secreted by activated leukocytes or an alteration in the susceptibility to exogenic agents resulting in less damage. Published in Eur J Cancer. 1991;27(12):1672-6.
Arndt Büssing is professor for Quality of Life, Spirituality and Coping at the University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany. His research interests are non-pharmacological interventions and the identification and support of individual resources to cope with chronic disease. Büssing published several studies with Viscum album. Since 1995, he heads the department of clinical immunology at the Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke, Germany.
Multiple studies with mistletoe (Viscum album) extracts show clear immune-modulating effects. This is also true in many cases in the experimental setting. Three clinical studies were carried out. Results from the first two studies will be presented here. In a prospective observational study with defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, the impact of two different doses of Iscador M (Mali) or Iscador Qu (Quercus) on the function and number of T-lymphocytes from tumor patients was studied. The immunological tests took place monthly during the first six months. Thirty-one patients were included in the slow dose group and 36 patients in the group with swift dose escalation. It was postulated that too swift increase in dosage would lead to stronger local reactions and impairment of the stimulation capacity of T-cells taken ex vivo and incubated for 72 hours. The evaluation showed that patients with stronger local reactions at the injection site have an impairment of mitogen-induced stimulation capacity of T-cells. However, patients with stronger local reaction showed a significant decrease of HLA-DR+ T cells as compared to patients In a GCP-conform, controlled bi-centric phase II study the aim was to investigate the efficacy of a perioperative intravenous mistletoe extract application on the modulation of operation-induced immune suppression. For this purpose 105 patients with breast cancer were recruited. At the treatment center the patients received an infusion of 1 mg Iscador M Spezial prior to the start of an operation, in addition to normal medication, while this was not practiced at the control center. The primary trial objective was the oxidative burst in granulocytes taken from patients ex vivo prior to surgery, and 1 and 3 days after. In order to take account of possible differences in the two groups, propensity scores were used as the basis for a matched pair analysis. It became clear that inhibition of the granulocyte function in the treatment group was significantly less marked (p < 0.001; Wilcoxon).
Mistletoe extract-related adverse reactions were not observed. Thus, this special form of application could minimize the immune suppression triggered by (general) anesthesia and operation stress. Published in: Arzneimittelforschung. 2006 Jun;56(6A):508-15.
Eva Kovacs, Uiversity of Basel, Switzerland
Anthroposophical mistletoe preparations are manufactured and widely available as HELIXOR®, Iscador® or ABNOBAViscum®. They are all applied subcutaneously twice to three times a week. For a number of reasons, in the Gorter Model, ABNOBAViscum® is preferred above Iscador ® or Helixor®
European Mistletoe or Viscum album (white berries)
In 1923, it were Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) and Ita Wegman (1876-1943) who developed mistletoe as an injectable in the treatment of cancer patients. Thus, over the last 110 years, mistletoe preparations have been legally prescribed and used for the treatment of cancer in mainly Central and Northern Europe. Currently, about 60-70% of all cancer patients in these countries receive mistletoe that have been prescribed by their licensed physicians and paid for by the various national health insurance systems.
At medical centers where the Gorter Model is being applied, the staff has daily experience in the application of mistletoe. Under the guidance of Prof. Dr. med. Robert Gorter as their “Doktorvater,” six young doctors received their doctor’s title (PhD) through international and multi-centered clinical trials with mistletoe, showing great benefit in immune response towards cancer cells and improvement of NK cell function, etc.
In addition, a large study in HIV / AIDS patients at the Universities of Johannesburg and Cape Town with Prof. Dr. med. Robert Gorter showed that Viscum album had great and significant benefit in clinical outcome and survival.
Telomeres and Aging
Telomeres are like the little caps at the ends of shoelaces that prevent the laces from unraveling. In this case, they prevent rod-like chromosomes from fraying and sticking together or tangling with other chromosomes. Without telomeres, genetic information would degrade, causing cells to malfunction, increasing the risk of disease, or even hastening death. Every time a cell replicates, its telomeres get a little shorter. Years of replication can eventually wear telomeres down so far that cells can’t replicate anymore, and they become dormant or die. As more tissues have trouble rejuvenating, the body follows the cells, aging and eventually breaking down. In short, cells have an aging clock built into them. But one’s chronological age in years doesn’t set the clock—one’s biological age in telomere length does. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. When they get too short, the cell can no longer divide; it becomes inactive or “senescent,” or it dies. This shortening process is associated with aging, cancer, and a higher risk of death. So telomeres also have been compared with a bomb fuse.
Dr. Richard Cawthon, MD, PhD. Research Associate Professor, Human Genetics, University of Utah
In white blood cells, the length of telomeres ranges from 8,000 base pairs in newborns to 3,000 base pairs in adults and as low as 1,500 in elderly people. (An entire chromosome has about 150 million base pairs.) Each time it divides, an average cell loses 30 to 200 base pairs from the ends of its telomeres.
Cells normally can divide only about 50 to 70 times, with telomeres getting progressively shorter until the cells become senescent or die.
Telomeres do not shorten in tissues where cells do not continually divide, such as heart muscle.
Without telomeres, the main part of the chromosome — the part with genes essential for life — would get shorter each time a cell divides. So telomeres allow cells to divide without losing genes. Cell division is necessary for growing new skin, blood, bone, and other cells.
An artistic representation of two chromosomes where each lilac ending represents a
telomere
The DNA damage in case of aging is a consequence of unrepaired accumulation of naturally occurring DNA damages. Damage in this context is a DNA alteration that has an abnormal structure. Although both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA damage can contribute to aging, nuclear DNA is the main subject of this analysis. Nuclear DNA damage can contribute to aging either indirectly (by increasing apoptosis or cellular senescence) or directly (by increasing cell dysfunction).
In humans and other mammals, DNA damage occurs frequently and DNA repair processes have evolved to compensate. In estimates made for mice, on average approximately 1,500 to 7,000 DNA lesions occur per hour in each mouse cell, or about 36,000 to 160,000 per cell per day (Vilenchik & Knudson, et al. 2000).
In any cell, some DNA damage may remain despite the action of repair processes. The accumulation of unrepaired DNA damage is more prevalent in certain types of cells, particularly in non-replicating or slowly replicating cells, such as cells in the brain, skeletal and cardiac muscle.
Why do we have telomeres in the first place?
Without telomeres, chromosome ends could fuse together and corrupt the cell’s genetic blueprint, possibly causing malfunction, cancer, or cell death. Because broken DNA is dangerous, a cell has the ability to sense and repair chromosome damage. Without telomeres, the ends of chromosomes would look like broken DNA, and the cell would try to fix something that wasn’t broken. That also would make them stop dividing and eventually die.
Why do telomeres get shorter each time a cell divides?
Before a cell can divide, it makes copies of its chromosomes so that both new cells will have identical genetic material. To be copied, a chromosome’s two DNA strands must unwind and separate. An enzyme (DNA polymerase) then reads the existing strands to build two new strands. It begins the process with the help of short pieces of RNA. When each new matching strand is complete, it is a bit shorter than the original strand because of the room needed at the end for this small piece of RNA.
Telomerase counteracts telomere shortening
An enzyme named telomerase adds bases to the ends of telomeres. In young cells, telomerase keeps telomeres from wearing down too much. But as cells divide repeatedly, there is not enough telomerase, so the telomeres grow shorter and the cells age.
Telomerase remains active in sperm and eggs, which are passed from one generation to the next. If reproductive cells did not have telomerase to maintain the length of their telomeres, any organism with such cells would soon go extinct.
Telomeres and aging
Geneticist Richard Cawthon and colleagues at the University of Utah found shorter telomeres are associated with shorter lives. Among people older than 60, those with shorter telomeres were three times more likely to die from heart disease and eight times more likely to die from infectious disease.
While telomere shortening has been linked to the aging process, it is not yet known whether shorter telomeres are just a sign of aging — like gray hair — or actually contribute to aging.
If telomerase makes cancer cells immortal, could it prevent normal cells from aging? Could we extend lifespan by preserving or restoring the length of telomeres with telomerase? If so, would that increase our risk of getting cancer?
Scientists are not yet sure. But they have been able to use telomerase in the lab to keep human cells dividing far beyond their normal limit, and the cells do not become cancerous.
If we used telomerase to “immortalize” human cells, we may be able to mass produce cells for transplantation, including insulin-producing cells to cure diabetes, muscle cells for treating muscular dystrophy, cartilage cells for certain kinds of arthritis, and skin cells for healing severe burns and wounds. An unlimited supply of normal human cells grown in the laboratory would also help efforts to test new drugs and gene therapies.
Human lifespan has increased considerably since the 1600s, when the average lifespan in Europe was 30 years. By 2012, the average US life expectancy was nearly 79 and in the EU 81. Reasons for the increase include sewers and other sanitation measures, antibiotics, clean water, refrigeration, vaccines and other medical efforts to prevent children and babies from dying, improved diets, and better health care.
Prior animal model studies have demonstrated an association between telomere length and longevity. Richard Cawthon et al. examined telomere length in centenarians in good health versus poor health. Using DNA from blood lymphocytes, telomere length was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 38 sex- and age-matched centenarians (ages 97–108). “Healthy” centenarians (n = 19) with physical function in the independent range and the absence of hypertension, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, dementia, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes were compared to centenarians with physical function limitations and ≥2 of the above conditions (n = 19). Healthy centenarians had significantly longer telomeres than did unhealthy centenarians (p = .0475). These data demonstrated that investigations of the association between telomere length and exceptional longevity must take into account the health status of the individuals. This raises the possibility that perhaps it is not exceptional longevity but one’s function and health that may be associated with telomere length. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2008 Aug; 63(8): 809–812.
Some scientists predict average life expectancy will continue to increase, although many doubt the average will ever be much higher than 90. But a few say vastly longer lifespans are possible.
Cawthon says that if all processes of aging could be eliminated and oxidative stress damage could be repaired, “one estimate is people could live 1,000 years.”
A major cause of aging is “oxidative stress.” It is the damage to DNA, proteins, and lipids (fats) caused by oxidants, which are highly reactive substances containing free oxygen atom (oxygen in “statu nascendi”). These oxidants are produced normally when we breathe, and also result from inflammation, infection, and consumption of alcohol and cigarettes (catabolism). In one study, scientists exposed worms to two substances that neutralize oxidants, and the worms’ lifespan increased an average 44%. Vitamin C is a strong anti-oxidant and should always be plenty available in nutrition for humans.
Fluorescence-stained chromosomes (red) on a microscope slide. Telomeres (yellow) sit at the ends of each chromosome. Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Moyzis, UC Irvine, US Human Genome Program
In tissues composed of non- or infrequently replicating cells, natural DNA damage can accumulate with age and lead either to loss of cells, or, in surviving cells, decrease or loss of gene expression. Accumulated DNA damage is usually measured directly. Numerous studies of this type have indicated that oxidative damage to DNA is particularly important. The loss of expression of specific genes can be detected at both the mRNA level and protein level. In the largest clinical study on telomere length and health to date (it matched telomere measurements with electronic medical records and other data on more than 100,000 adults of different ages), the 10% of people with the shortest telomeres were almost 25% more likely to die in 3 years than people with longer telomeres. “What we don’t know is whether telomere length is a passive marker of health and aging or if it actively determines things like whether you’re going to be susceptible to heart disease or how long you’ll live,” says study leader Catherine Schaefer, PhD, director of the research program on genes, environment, and health at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA. Either way, the association is significant. “Finding out you have short telomeres isn’t the same as getting a death sentence,” Dr. Schaefer says. “But the increase in risk is about the same as if you smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years.”
Catherine Schaefer, PhD, has been a research scientist at the Kaiser
Permanente Northern California Division of Research since 1989.
During each cell replication (mitosis) a telomere shortens till nothing of a telomere is left. Then the cell can no longer replicate. If telomeres don’t shorten, or can be repaired back to their length as before, cells might become immortal. And research suggests a way that might happen. For most of our adult lives, telomeres seem to stay fairly stable, shortening most profoundly after middle age. However, at any given age, there is a lot of variation in telomere length between individuals. Some people’s telomeres are from two to three times longer than other people’s. Studies strongly suggest that at young age, when telomeres are lengthier to start, they tend to change less with time.
Telomerase plays a role. This enzyme lengthens telomeres and prevents them from eroding. In fact, cells produce more telomerase to prevent the shortest telomeres from going critical. Could enough telomerase prevent cells from dying?
It stands to reason that activating telomerase might lengthen telomeres and promote better health. In a European study, mice that were genetically engineered to lack telomerase aged fast and died young. But when some of these mice had their telomerase turned back on, the effects of aging were dramatically reversed and they bounced back to health.
The European mistletoe (Viscum album) has been documented to:
- Significantly restore and improve DNA repair mechanisms after radiation and chemotherapy in cancer patients.
- Increase the length of telomeres in cancer patients in remission, and in healthy individuals (Anti-Aging).
- Lengthening of telomeres in healthy individuals at all adult ages (documented in volunteers even older than 75 years).
- Increase of muscle mass in sport professionals and inhibition of muscle-mass decline in the elderly (documented up to 85 years of age).
- Significant improvement of functional capabilities in all age groups
Studies strongly suggest that both the European mistletoe and the Korean mistletoe exhibit very similar biomedical actions and clinical efficacies.
Typical appearance of multiple bushes of mistletoe (Viscum album) in a deciduous tree
Mistletoe enhances effects of muscle strength training in young adults and inhibits muscle decline in the elderly
The combination of an oral mistletoe extract and resistance exercise retarded the decline in muscle mass and strength in the elderly: A randomized controlled trial
Given the increased concerns about the degenerative decline in the physical performance of the elderly, there is a need for developing effective strategies to suppress the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and functional capacity through a lifestyle intervention. This randomized controlled trial examined whether a combination of Korean mistletoe extract (KME) supplement and exercise affected muscle mass, muscle function, and targeted molecular expressions. Sixty-seven subjects aged 55–75 years were assigned to placebo, low-dose (1 g/d), or high-dose (2 g/d) of KME for 12 weeks. The body composition was significantly changed in the high-dose group during the intervention period as determined by skeletal muscle mass (P = 0.040), fat free mass (P = 0.042), soft lean mass (P = 0.023), skeletal muscle index (P = 0.041), fat-free mass index (P = 0.030), percent body fat (P = 0.044), and fat mass to lean mass ratio (P = 0.030). Knee strength was measured by Cybex, demonstrating a significant effect in the KME groups compared to the placebo group (P = 0.026 for peak torque and P = 0.057 for set total work), which was more pronounced after adjusting for age, gender, protein, and energy intake (P = 0.009 for peak torque and P = 0.033 for set total work). The dynamic balance ability was remarkably improved in the high-dose group over a 12-week period as determined by Timed “Up and Go” (P = 0.005 for fast walk test and P = 0.024 for ordinary walk test). Consistent with these results, RT-PCR, multiplex analyses, and immunocytofluorescence staining revealed that a high-dose KME supplementation was effective for suppressing intracellular pathways related to muscle protein degradation, but stimulating those related to myogenesin. In particular, significant differences were found in atrogin-1 mRNA (P = 0.002 at a single administration and P = 0.001 at a 12-week administration), myogenic mRNA (P < 0.0001 at a single administration and P = 0.040 at a 12-week administration), and insulin growth factor 1 receptor phosphorylation (P = 0.002 at a 12-week administration). These results suggest that KME supplementation together with resistance exercise may be useful in suppressing the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength in the elderly.
Loss of skeletal muscle mass occurs as a consequence of normal aging (Yu et al., 2014). It was estimated that muscle mass was lost at rates of 1–2% people in aged 50 and 3% per year in people aged over 60 and thereafter (Doherty, 2003). The loss of lean tissue contributes to a decrease in muscle function and total energy expenditure, leading to a high incidence of accidental falls, obesity, and lifestyle-related diseases (Roubenoff, 2001). Furthermore, they are related to a significant increase in the overall health care cost in society (Yu et al., 2014). Anabolic steroids are occasionally prescribed but are limited in their use because of poor efficacy and safety concerns (Thompson, 2007). In line with these concerns and findings, some scientists have begun to explore whether a food and nutrition interventions can help retard the age-related muscle wasting in older subjects. Prospective observational studies have suggested that increasing the daily protein intake above 0.8 g/kg b.w. would reduce the risk of sarcopenia in older adults (Houston et al., 2008). Based on these findings, protein supplement with resistance training was the most studied area (Aleman-Mateo et al., 2014; Daly et al., 2014; Tieland et al., 2012a), but data are also emerging on the role of food ingredients and bio-actives such as creatinine (Gualano et al., 2014) and resveratrol (Murase et al., 2009) in the regulation of muscle mass.
Mistletoes are a diverse group of parasitic plants with a worldwide distribution and have been recognized as a therapeutic herb (Lyu et al., 2013). The European mistletoe (Viscum album L.), standardized with lectins, has been intensively studied in relation to cancer, immune system diseases, and diabetes for over a decade (Mengs et al., 2002; Nazaruk and Orlikowski, 2016; Orhan et al., 2005). There is accumulating in vitro and in vivo evidence supporting the anti-cancer and immunomodulating effect of the Korean mistletoe (Viscum album L. var. coloratum Ohwi), a subspecies of the European mistletoe. Furthermore, recent studies have expanded the potential use of the Korean mistletoe to other fields, including protection against oxidative stress (Kim et al., 2010) and improvement of exercise endurance capacity (Jung et al., 2012). In addition, unpublished data in C2C12 cells showed that a Korean mistletoe extract treatment induced a significant up-regulation of muscular atrophy genes (Akt, protein kinase B; mTOR, mechanistic target of rapamycin; S6K1, ribosomal S6 kinase 1 and ERK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1) and down-regulation of muscular dystrophy genes (FoxO1, forkhead box protein O1; atrogin-1, and REDD2, regulated in development and DNA damage response 2) compared to the vehicle treated cells. However, this has yet to be demonstrated in randomized clinical trials.
In the present study, we were interested in whether a combination of Korean mistletoe and resistance exercise would have an effect on retarding the age-related decline in muscle mass, strength, and thus maintaining physical performance. We, therefore, have performed a randomized controlled trial to determine these outcomes in elderly subjects. Furthermore, to elucidate the underlying mechanism on muscle metabolism, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), multiplex analysis, and immunocytofluorescence staining were performed in biopsied muscle tissue.
Conclusion
Current studies all represent the significant beneficial effect of Viscum in the improvement of the age-related decline of muscle mass, strength, and functional capabilities, when applied with endurance exercise in apparently healthy elderly adults. Most importantly, we employed the muscle biopsy technique to examine the underlying molecular events, suggesting that the KME-induced changes in muscle mass and strength might be attributed to the regulation of genes, which appeared to be at least partly related to muscle differentiation and muscle atrophy such as IGF1R, atrogin-1, and myogenin.
The same holds true for top-sport professionals in regards to increase of muscle mass by induction the growth of new muscle fibers and increase of strength and functionality.
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learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/chromosomes/telomeres/
Since approximately 3.000 years, the European mistletoe has been used for infertility in life stock and humans as it has significant effects in protecting living organisms like in cattle 🐄 and in humans An echo of this knowledge is reflected in the tradition that with Christmas, one may hug & kiss anybody under a mistletoe twig….
I am Prof. Dr. med. Robert W. D. Gorter and I wrote this article. I have now more than 50 years experience with applying clinically Viscum album (European mistletoe) and often in combination with Cannabidiol (CBD) as a significant
COX- 2 inhibitor and have ahd amazing results even in end-stage cancer patients