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Cells
Volume 14
Issue 19
10.3390/cells14191535
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Mistletoe Extracts Inhibit Progressive Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells

by
Sascha D. Markowitsch
1,
Larissa Albrecht
1,
Moritz Meiborg
2,
Jochen Rutz
1,
Anita Thomas
1,
Felix K. -H. Chun
2,
Axel Haferkamp
1,
Eva Juengel
1,† and
Roman A. Blaheta
1,2,*,†
1
Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Medical Center Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
2
Department of Urology, Goethe-University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Cells 2025, 14(19), 1535; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14191535
Submission received: 17 July 2025 / Revised: 19 September 2025 / Accepted: 30 September 2025 / Published: 30 September 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products and Their Derivatives Against Human Disease)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Although multimodal therapeutic management has significantly improved outcome in prostate cancer (PCa) patients, treatment options for castrate-resistant disease remain challenging. Plant-derived mistletoe extracts have supported cancer patients and are, therefore, widely used as complementary medicine. However, mechanisms behind possible mistletoe benefits to PCa patients remain to be explored. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of mistletoe extracts from four different host trees (Tiliae, Populi, Salicis, and Crataegi) on the growth and proliferation of PCa cell lines in vitro. PC3, DU145, and LNCaP cells were used to evaluate tumor cell growth (MTT assay) and proliferation (BrdU incorporation assay). Clonogenicity, apoptosis, cell cycle, and cell-cycle-regulating proteins (cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and cyclins) were investigated, as was CD44 standard and splice variant expression and integrin α and β receptors. SiRNA knockdown studies were employed to investigate the functional relevance of integrins. All mistletoe extracts significantly inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner and cell proliferation and clonogenicity were suppressed. Populi and Salicis induced cell-cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and increased apoptosis. Both extracts down-regulated CDK1 and cyclin A and altered CD44 expression. Integrins α5 in all cell lines and α6 in DU145 and LNCaP were particularly diminished. Knocking down α5 and α6 induced cell growth inhibition in DU145. Mistletoe extracts block the growth and proliferation of PCa cells in vitro and therefore qualify for use in future animal studies to evaluate mistletoe as an adjunct to standard PCa treatment.
Keywords: prostate cancer; mistletoe; growth; proliferation; cell cycling prostate cancer; mistletoe; growth; proliferation; cell cycling

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MDPI and ACS Style

Markowitsch, S.D.; Albrecht, L.; Meiborg, M.; Rutz, J.; Thomas, A.; Chun, F.K.-H.; Haferkamp, A.; Juengel, E.; Blaheta, R.A. Mistletoe Extracts Inhibit Progressive Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells. Cells 2025, 14, 1535. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14191535

AMA Style

Markowitsch SD, Albrecht L, Meiborg M, Rutz J, Thomas A, Chun FK-H, Haferkamp A, Juengel E, Blaheta RA. Mistletoe Extracts Inhibit Progressive Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells. Cells. 2025; 14(19):1535. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14191535

Chicago/Turabian Style

Markowitsch, Sascha D., Larissa Albrecht, Moritz Meiborg, Jochen Rutz, Anita Thomas, Felix K. -H. Chun, Axel Haferkamp, Eva Juengel, and Roman A. Blaheta. 2025. "Mistletoe Extracts Inhibit Progressive Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells" Cells 14, no. 19: 1535. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14191535

APA Style

Markowitsch, S. D., Albrecht, L., Meiborg, M., Rutz, J., Thomas, A., Chun, F. K.-H., Haferkamp, A., Juengel, E., & Blaheta, R. A. (2025). Mistletoe Extracts Inhibit Progressive Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells. Cells, 14(19), 1535. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14191535

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