Abstract
This work evaluated the antiproliferative potential of Eugenia brasiliensis leaf extracts against the HeLa cervical cancer cell line. The extracts were prepared by maceration using hexane (EBH), dichloromethane (EBD), and ethyl acetate (EBAE), and they were evaluated for their antiproliferative potential through a 3-4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay in the cervical cancer cell culture (HeLa cell line) and a non-cancer cell line (NIH-3T3). EBH, EBD, and EBAE were cytotoxic in HeLa cells, with 50% inhibition concentration (IC(50)) = 97.59, 31.03, and 57.67 µg/mL, respectively. EBD inhibited migration and altered the cell cycle. Eight compounds were tentatively assigned to E. brasiliensis leaf extracts by interpreting their fragmentation patterns and molecular formulae obtained from mass spectra. The dichloromethane extract of the leaves of E. brasiliensis against the cells of cervical cancer showed potential cytotoxicity activity.