The impact of extract of mistletoe on tumour cells and hemostasis of human plasma

Background The plant Viscum album (Mistletoe) is a known source of biologically active substances, used in traditional medicine in Europe and Asia.Aim The goal was to study cytotoxic/cytostatic effect of mistletoe extract on tumour and normal cells and its influences on certain proteins of the blood coagulation system.Setting Mistletoe was collected in Ukraine in November 2020.Methods Water extract of V. album, both leaves and stems, was obtained and fractionated; it was characterised using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry and tested on cancer cells and blood plasma.Results Extract demonstrated the presence of viscotoxins and carbohydrates and thermolabile compounds that enhance the activity of thrombin and factor X in plasma in the presence of calcium ions and increased the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) by 2.7 times. The cytotoxic/cytostatic action of the mistletoe fractions, the total extract and the fraction