Viscum plants,the evergreen perennial parasitic shrubs or subshrubs,are mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. There are about 70 Viscum species around the world,including 11 species and one variety in China. Mistletoe lectins are typeⅡ ribosome-inactivating proteins( RIPs) extracted from Viscum plants with anticancer and immunoregulatory activities. Many studies have focused on the mistletoe lectins isolated from V. album in Europe and V. album var. coloratum distributed in South Korea,respectively,and several preparations,such as Iscucin Ⓡ,were developed and clinically applied for cancer treatment. Although Viscum plants are widely distributed in China,only a few studies of mistletoe lectins have been reported. The recent progress of mistletoe lectins was reviewed from extraction,purification,quantitative/qualitative detection,molecular structure,pharmacological activities,toxicities,and clinical application,aiming at providing a reference for in-depth research and utilization of mistletoe lectins produced in China.
Keywords: clinical research; extraction and purification; lectins; mistletoe; molecular structure; pharmacological efficacy; quantitative/qualitative detection; toxicity.