The future of Viscum album L. in Europe will be shaped by temperature and host availability

Walas, Łukasz; Kędziora, Wojciech; Ksepko, Marek; Rabska, Mariola; Tomaszewski, Dominik; Thomas, Peter A.; Wójcik, R.; Iszkuło, Grzegorz

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-21532-6

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…The total preference for evergreen hosts allows the plant to photosynthesise throughout the year and at low temperatures below the freezing point, although at a rate lower than the host’s assimilation organs. For the reasons already reported, the V. album species is subdivided into several subspecies and varieties, which are specialised according to the host tree or shrub [ 23 ]. Different from the common action, V. album rarely grows on oak trees, wherein it is substituted by another hemiparasite, Loranthus europeus Jacq.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Viscum album

Nicoletti

2023

Plants

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The therapeutic story of European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) presents a seesawing profile. In ancient times, this hemiparasitic plant was considered a panacea and even to be endowed with exceptional beneficial properties. In more recent times, despite its multiple uses in traditional medicines, some parts of the plant, in particular the berries, were considered poisonous and dangerous, including concerns of cytotoxicity, which spread serious suspicion on its medicinal utility. However, since the last century, medical interest in mistletoe has come back in force due to its utilization in clinical cancer treatments, based on its selective action on tumor cells. In Central Europe, the hydro-alcoholic extracts of European mistletoe register a relevant and continuous utilization in anthroposophic medicine, which is a holistic system that includes the utilization of phytomedicinal substances. In Switzerland and Germany, most physicians and patients use these products as complementary therapy in oncological treatments. However, despite its increasing use in this field, the results of mistletoe’s use are not always convincing, and other aspects have appeared. Nowadays, products that contain mistletoe are utilized in several fields, including diet, phytotherapy, veterinary medicine and homeopathy, but in particular in cancer therapies as coadjuvant factors, in consideration of several positive effects including effects in the improvement of quality-of-life conditions and reinforcement of the immune system. In this review, based on the understanding of the association between cancer and inflammation, we propose a relationship between these recent uses of mistletoe, based on its antioxidant properties, which are supported by phytochemical and pharmacological data. The unicity of mistletoe metabolism, which is a direct consequence of its hemiparasitism, is utilized as a key interpretation element to explain its biological properties and steer its consequent therapeutic uses.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Viscum album

Nicoletti

2023

Plants

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“…However, response to climate change appears to be different for each of the three main subspecies. Subspecies album is predicted to spread in all directions, depending upon specific temperature changes, but subsps austriacum and abietis are likely to move north and east with a slight decrease in occurrence in southern and western Europe (Walas et al, 2022). In the case of subsps austriacum and abietis , reliant on a limited range of host species, changes of the host range is also crucial.…”

Section: Conservation and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland:Viscum album

et al. 2022

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This account presents information on all aspects of the biology of Viscum album L. (Mistletoe) that are relevant to understanding its ecological characteristics and behaviour. The main topics are presented within the standard framework of the Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland: distribution, habitat, communities, responses to biotic factors, responses to environment, structure and physiology, phenology, floral and seed characters, herbivores and disease, history, and conservation. Viscum album is a widespread obligate hemiparasite on a wide range of angiosperm and gymnosperm trees. Once thought to take just water and nutrients from its host via a haustorium, it is now suggested to also take carbon. Heavy infestations can reduce host vitality through prolific water use and carbon removal. Flowers are highly reduced but are primarily pollinated by flies, ants and bees. Seeds are dispersed by birds. Removal of the epicarp is necessary for successful seedling establishment, and seeds have a sticky viscin coat, adhering it to the host bark. Vegetative spread also happens under the bark of its host resulting in densities of >700 Mistletoe plants per host. Viscum album is a lowland species, most frequent in open human‐made habitats extending into woodlands in Europe. It has been widely planted for folklore use centred around Christmas. Despite conservation concerns following removal of Mistletoe‐laden old orchards, the species is thriving and needs control in some areas. Viscotoxins and lectins in leaves and shoots have been widely used in herbal medicine and now potentially in complementary cancer therapy.

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“…The most serious threat from V. album is its capacity to increase water stress in the host, as mistletoe does not close its stomata during periods of water shortage (Zuber, 2004). V. album prefers a maritime climate, with temperatures above 15°C in summer and no lower than -7°C in winter (Zuber, 2004;Walas et al, 2022). As a result of the observed climate change, the range and size of V. album subsp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result of the observed climate change, the range and size of V. album subsp. album populations in Europe (Walas et al, 2022) can be expected to increase, and consequently its negative impact on trees and forest ecosystems will increase as well. For this reason, monitoring of V. album populations and observation of how they tend to parasitise new host species is an important element of the current and future management of mistletoe expansion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oak and others, new to Poland, hosts of mistletoe Viscum album subsp. album in the city of Toruń and its immediate vicinity

Rutkowski

Nienartowicz²,

Kunz³

2023

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The paper presents the distribution of localities of seven tree taxa, identified as new hosts of mistletoe in Poland, in the city of Toruń. Particular attention was paid to the description of a site with mistletoe on an oak identified as Quercus x rosacea. The reason for this is that native oaks are rare hosts of mistletoe in Central and Eastern Europe and this is the first finding of such a host–parasite association in Poland. The occurrence of all eight host species at 14 sites was compared with the distribution and description of localities and morphological characteristics of both host–mistletoe association components presented in the botanical, ecological and forestry literature.

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The future of Viscum album L. in Europe will be shaped by temperature and host availability

Cited by 13 publications

References 64 publications

The Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Viscum album

The Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Viscum album

Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland:Viscum album

Oak and others, new to Poland, hosts of mistletoe Viscum album subsp. album in the city of Toruń and its immediate vicinity

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