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Chemoprevention

The phytochemical compounds (glucosinolates, macamides, alkaloids, sterols, polyphenols, and polysaccharides) of maca contribute to many biological activities including:(1,2)

  • Anti-cancer

  • Anti-fatigue

  • Anti-inflammation

  • Antiosteoporosis

  • Antioxidation

  • Immunoregulation

  • Hepatoprotection

  • Neuroprotection

  • Reproductive health improvements

 

Glucosinolates and its enzymolysis products, specifically benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), are known to provide chemoprotective activity. Yan, et al. reported BITC (from yellow maca)  provided “excellent cytotoxicity” on tumor cell lines (leukemia HL-60, lung cancer A549, liver cancer SMMC-7721, breast cancer MCF-7 and colon cancer SW480), with higher effects than an antitumor drug (2).  

 

Similarly, macamides, a compound unique to maca, was found to have the highest free radical scavenging capacity and inhibitory effects on the same cancer cell lines (3), with one study showing macamide B to inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer cells(4).  

 

Additionally, cytotoxic properties of maca are reported for prostate, cervical, bladder, glioblastoma, ovarian, upper gastrointestinal, and skin cancer cell lines (5,6). Further, one animal study reported maca to be protective against testicular damage caused by radiation for the treatment of cancer (7).

 

Polysaccharides of maca have multiple immunomodulatory effects. In a cell study, one component of maca polysaccharides (MCP2) demonstrated the strongest immunosuppressive effect significantly delaying tumor growth and enhance anti-tumor effect of a common chemotherapeutic drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), by regulating CD4+ T cells (8).

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Polysaccharides.jpeg

Image credit: Cao F, Zhang H, Yan Y, Chang Y, Ma J. Extraction of polysaccharides from Maca enhances the treatment effect of 5-FU by regulating CD4+T cells. Heliyon. 2023;9(6):e16495. Published 2023 May 24. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16495. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Thiohydantins are a lesser researched class of phytochemicals within maca, with conflicting results. Dating back to 1996, one study found a series of 2-thiohydantoin derivatives provided antitumor activity (9), with a newer study showing macathioureas A-D, derived from Chinese maca, to have no significant cytotoxic activity against five cancer cell lines (10).

 

Synergistic effects of black and red maca (Lepidium peruvianum) and saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) was found to have the greatest impact on LNCaP androgen-dependent prostate cancer cell line, by the inhibition of COX-2 and antioxidant activity (11). Of note, red maca is most researched for its positive effects on prostate health.

 

While limited, the cell and animal studies conducted on maca’s anticancer properties are promising and will likely lead to human clinical trials in the future. 

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Written by Kim Ross, DCN

Reviewed by Deanna Minich, PhD

Last Updated December 17, 2024

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References

1. Minich DM, Ross K, Frame J, Fahoum M, Warner W, Meissner HO. Not All Maca Is Created Equal: A Review of Colors, Nutrition, Phytochemicals, and Clinical Uses. Nutrients. 2024 Feb 14;16(4):530.

2. Yan S, Wei J, Chen R. Evaluation of the Biological Activity of Glucosinolates and Their Enzymolysis Products Obtained from Lepidium meyenii Walp. (Maca). Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(23).

3. Fu L, Wei J, Gao Y, Chen R. Antioxidant and antitumoral activities of isolated macamide and macaene fractions from Lepidium meyenii (Maca). Talanta. 2021;221.

4. Tao H, Shi H, Wang M, Xu Y. Macamide B suppresses lung cancer progression potentially via the ATM signaling pathway. Oncol Lett. 2023 Mar;25(3):115.

5. Kasprzak D, Gaweł-Bęben K, Kukula-Koch W, Strzępek-Gomółka M, Wawruszak A, Woźniak S, et al. Lepidium peruvianum as a Source of Compounds with Anticancer and Cosmetic Applications. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Oct 8;25(19):10816.

6. Tóth S, Szlávik MF, Mandel R, Fekecs F, Tusnády G, Vajda F, et al. Synthesis and Systematic Investigation of Lepidiline A and Its Gold(I), Silver(I), and Copper(I) Complexes Using In Vitro Cancer Models and Multipotent Stem Cells. ACS Omega. 2024 Jul 23;9(29):32226–34.

7. Mekkawy MH, Abdou FY, Ali MM, Abd-ElRaouf A. A novel approach of using Maca root as a radioprotector in a rat testicular damage model focusing on GRP78/CHOP/Caspase-3 pathway. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2024;755.

8. Cao F, Zhang H, Yan Y, Chang Y, Ma J. Extraction of polysaccharides from Maca enhances the treatment effect of 5-FU by regulating CD4+T cells. Heliyon. 2023 Jun;9(6):e16495.

9. Al-Obaid AM, El-Subbagh HI, Khodair A, Elmazar MMA. 5-Substituted-2-thiohydantoin analogs as a novel class of antitumor agents. Anticancer Drugs. 1996;7(8).

10. Geng HC, Wang XS, Chen N, Lv JJ, Zhou M. Macathioureas A-D, four new thiourea analogues from the roots of Lepidium meyenii. Fitoterapia. 2023 Jul;168:105521.

11. Gaweł-Bęben K, Kukula-Koch W, Szwajgier D, Antosiewicz-Klimczak B, Orihuela-Campos RC, Głowniak K, et al. Synergism of Specific Maca Phenotypes (Lepidium peruvianum) in Combination with Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) Extract for Chemoprevention of Prostate Cancer as Determined in In Vitro Cytotoxicity Assays on Human Epithelial and Prostate Cancer Cells. Molecules. 2024 Nov 28;29(23).

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