ARTICLES Herbal Composition PC-SPES for Management of Prostate Cancer: Identification of Active Principles

advanced prostate cancer, has proven thrombogenic and highly estrogenic in clinical trials. However, attempts to identify the active compounds in PC-SPES have yielded in-congruous results. Moreover, warfarin was identified in the serum of a patient taking PC-SPES who experienced a bleed-ing disorder. To determine the active components in PC-SPES potentially responsible for these effects, we analyzed PC-SPES lots manufactured from l996 through mid-2001. Methods: Antineoplastic activity of PC-SPES and its indi-vidual component extracts was determined by colony-forming assays with several prostate cancer cell lines, and estrogenicity was determined by analyzing expression of an estrogen-responsive reporter gene in breast cancer cells. High-pressure liquid chromatography was used to isolate, identify, and quantify components of PC-SPES. Component