[In vitro studies of the effect of a mistletoe preparation on melanoma cells].

In concentrations usually achieved in vivo, extracts of mistletoe (e.g. Iscador) exert no direct action on melanoma cells or human fibroblasts in tissue cultures. Only very high concentrations of Iscador in combination with prolonged incubation time (over several days) resulted in damaging the cells irreversibly. Therefore we are not able to confirm the suggestion that mistletoe extracts exert a deleterious action selectively on malignant cells.