Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men around the world. It is a complex and heterogeneous disease in which androgens and their receptors play a crucial role in the progression and development. The current treatment for prostate cancer is a combination of surgery, hormone therapy, radiation and chemotherapy. Therapeutic agents commonly used in the clinic include steroidal and non-steroidal anti-androgens, such as cyproterone acetate, bicalutamide and enzalutamide. These few agents have multiple adverse effects and are not 100% effective. Several plant compounds and mixtures, including grape seed polyphenol extracts, lycopene and tomato preparations, soy isoflavones, and green tea extracts, have been shown to be effective against prostate cancer cell growth. In vivo activity of some isolated compounds like capsaicin and curcumin was reported in prostate cancer murine models. We prepared a library of plant extracts from traditional Mayan medicine. These plants were selected for their use in the contemporaneous Mayan communities for the treatment of different diseases. The extracts were assessed in a phenotypic screening using LNCaP prostate cancer androgen sensitive cell line, with a fixed dose of 25 μg/mL. MTT assay identified seven out of ten plants with interesting anti-neoplastic activity. Extracts from these plants were subjected to a bioguided fractionation to study their major components. We identified three compounds with anti-neoplastic effects against LNCaP cells, one of which shows selectivity for neoplastic compared to benign cells.

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common cancer in men around the word. It is a complex and heterogeneous disease in which androgens and their receptor play a crucial role in the progression and development. The current treatment for PC is a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Therapeutic agents commonly used in the clinic include steroidal and non- steroidal antiandrogens, such as cyproterone acetate. These few agents have multiple adverse effects and are not 100% effective. Several plant compounds and mixtures, including grape seed polyphenol extracts, lycopene and tomato preparations, soy isoflavones, and green tea extracts, have been shown to be effective against PC cell growth. Some isolated compounds were reported with in vivo activity on CP murine model like capsaicin and curcumin. We prepared a library of plant extracts from traditional Mayan medicine. These plants were selected for their use in the contemporaneous Maya communities with application in different types of diseases and treatments. These extracts were used in a phenotypic screening in LNCaP (androgen sensitive) prostate cancer cells in a fixed dose (25 μg / mL). Ten plants out of 11 were identified with cytotoxic activity in these cells. With the active extracts, a bioguided fractionation method was performed until the elucidation of the major components. We identified 3 compounds with activity and design one hybrid molecule with the natural product structure and steroid analog to enhance the antiproliferative activity.