A mistletoe lectin (ML-1)-containing diet reduces the viability of a murine non-Hodgkin lymphoma tumor

• Published in: Cancer detection and prevention 2004, Vol.28 (1), p.52-56
• Main Authors: Pryme, Ian F, Bardocz, Susan, Pusztai, Arpad, Ewen, Stanley W, Pfüller, Uwe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-angiogenesis; Anti-cancer; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; Cancer; Cytokines; Cytotoxicity; Diet; Disease Models, Animal; Epidemiology; Female; Fetal Viability; Gut hyperplasia; Lymphocytes; Lymphoma; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin - mortality; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin - pathology; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Mistletoe; Mistletoe lectin; Neovascularization, Pathologic - prevention & control; Peyer’s patch; Phytotherapy - methods; Polyamines; Random Allocation; Reference Values; Survival Rate; Tumors
• ISSN: 0361-090X; 1877-7821; 1873-443X; 1877-783X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cdp.2003.10.003

In this study we show that the characteristics of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) tumors in female Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI, USA) mice fed mistletoe lectin (ML)-containing diets were different from those in mice fed control diet. The non-Hodgkin lymphoma tumor was originally established from a spontaneous tumor which developed in the inguinal region of a male mouse. Mice (five animals per group) were fed a lactalbumin (LA)-based control diet or a diet which provided up to 10 mg lectin per day. At the highest daily intake (10 mg lectin) the degree of mitotic activity in tumors was reduced by 75% and the nuclear area had diminished by 21%. The overall level of lymphocyte infiltration (CD3 positive cells) in tumors from mistletoe lectin fed mice was increased by a factor of two. Other morphological studies showed a high incidence of apoptotic bodies in non-Hodgkin lymphoma tumors obtained from mice fed mistletoe lectin diets. The feeding of such diets thus produced several identifiable changes in the morphology of non-Hodgkin lymphoma tumors. These were consistent with the observed reduction in tumor mass. In 4/15 mice fed a mistletoe lectin diet for 11 days there was no longer evidence of viable tumor. The results show that this lectin exerts powerful anti-tumor effects when provided by the oral route.