IN VITRO EFFECTS OF POLYPHENOLS EXTRACTED FROM THE AROEIRA PLANT (SCHINUS TEREBINTHIFOLIUS RADDI) ON THE GROWTH OF PROSTATE CANCER CELLS (LNCaP, PC-3 AND DU145)

Despite the existence of various types of antineoplastic treatments of prostate cancer, most of them induce apoptosis in the tumor cells by means of synthetic or natural drugs. The aim of this work was to study the antiproliferative action of methanolic and aqueous extracts from the leaves of the aroeira plant (Schinus terebinthifolius) a plant from the Northeast from Brazil over isolated prostate cancer cell cultures. The extracts were tested in isolated cell lineages from non hormone dependent cancers (DU145 e PC-3), as well as in hormone-dependent ones (LNCaP). The cells were cultivated in a RPMI medium and were incubated at 37oC in a 5% CO2, humid environment. The activities of the extracts were evaluated within 3 and 6 days of cellular growth. The aqueous extract was more effective than the methanolic one in the inhibition of cell multiplication in all the lineages tested