Introduction: Mistletoe has been used alone or as a complementary therapy in the treatment of different diseases for years. In this study, the antitumoral effect of mistletoe fruit extract on Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) cells was evaluated. Materials and Methods: EAT cells from preformed stock mice were transferred to culture dishes containing 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and mistletoe extracts at different doses (100, 200, 400, and 800 μg/ml). These cells were incubated at 37 °C in an environment with 95% humidity and 5% CO2. At the end of the incubations, the apoptosis status of the cells, cell cycle, mitochondrial membrane potential, and proliferation status with the argyrophilic (Ag) nucleolar organizer region staining (NORs) method were evaluated. Results: As a result, it was observed that the mistletoe fruit extract and 5-FU induce apoptosis of EAT cells. It was concluded that the 5-FU substance arrests the cell cycle at the G0/G1 stage, while the mistletoe arrests the cell cycle at the S and G2/M stages. The depolarization rate of the mistletoe treated cells was higher. As a result of the evaluation made with the AgNORs method, it was seen that mistletoe and 5-FU could be effective in reducing the proliferation of EAT cells. Conclusions: It was seen that mistletoe fruit extract could be effective in stimulating the apoptosis and depolarization of cancer cells. The results of other studies in the literature and our study support each other. It was concluded that the mistletoe plant may be useful in cancer treatment.

Cancer is a significant public health problem in both developed and developing countries. Phytotherapy studies have gained importance due to the side effect of standard cancer therapy protocols. Viburnum opulus, belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family, is used in the treatment of various diseases. Anticarcinogenic effects of Viburnum opulus have also been reported. The aim of this study is to compare the cytotoxic effect of Gilaburu juice extract given at various doses against EAT cell in culture. The juice of the fermented Gilaburu fruit were centrifuged filtered through a 50 kDa filter and the fraction below 50 kDa was lyophilized. The EAT cells in the ascitic fluid from the previously prepared stock animal were counted and plated on 96 well plates. The first group of five was determined as the control group and the other groups were given 50–100–200 μg/mL Gilaburu extract. At the end of 3, 24 and 48 h cultured periods, the cells were counted and the number of viable and dead cells was noted. The number of dead and alive cells in control and experimental groups did not change after 3 hours period but there were 50% dead cells in experimental groups after 24 h culture period.

Joint Diseases and Related Surgery (JDRS), the official journal of the Turkish Joint Diseases Foundation, is an international, peer-reviewed, immediate open access journal. All published articles in JDRS has been free for everyone, without embargo, since 1990.