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Breast and cervical cancer represent a major problem of women's global public health. Here, we investigated the chemical composition of essential oils from leaves and fl owers of T. ostenii and the antineoplastic potential in a cervical cancer and breast cancer cell line, SiHa and MCF-7; and non-tumoral cells, HaCat. The chemical analysis revealed a predominance of oxygenated monoterpenes in both essential oils. The IC50 after 24 h of treatment was 72 ng/mL for EO 1 and 83 ng/mL for EO 2 in SiHa cells. For MCF-7 the IC50 was 174.3 ng/mL for EO 1. For HaCat cells it was 54.45 ng/mL for EO 1 and 20.83 ng/mL for EO 2. A synergistic effect with both essential oils and cisplatin was also verifi ed. SiHa cells had their wound healing capacity reduced after 48 h of treatment with EO 2 and both essential oils were able to signifi cantly inhibit the adhesion process and clonogenic ability after 24 h of treatment. Our results suggest a long-lasting inhibitory activity in SiHa cells because of the low recovery capacity of cells after treatment withdrawal. Flow cytometer with annexin V/propidium iodide demonstrated a majority cell death through late apoptosis after 24, 48 and 72 hours of treatment.

Reports from popular medicine usually act as a basis for the development of new drugs from natural compounds with therapeutic actions for serious diseases and prevalence such as cancer. Bromelia antiacantha Bertol. is a species of the Bromeliaceae family, considered an unconventional food plant, found in the south and midwest regions of Brazil. Despite the high nutritional content and pharmacological potential of its fruits, few scientific studies report its biological actions. Thus, this study evaluates the phytochemical profile of aqueous and ethanol extracts obtained from B. antiacantha fruits, as well as their possible antioxidant, antitumor, and cytotoxic activities. The aqueous extract exhibited phenolic compounds and flavonoids, while ethanol extracts indicated the presence of flavonoids and coumarin in their composition, regardless of the region of collection. The ethanolic extract demonstrated a more promising antioxidant effect than the aqueous extract and also induced a significant inhibition in the viability of human cervical cancer cells of the SiHa strain. In addition, treatment with both extracts did not alter the viability of non-tumor cells of the immortalized human keratinocyte lineage (HaCaT). These results bring new data about extracts obtained from a native plant, edible and traditionally used in popular medicine, opening new perspectives for its possible therapeutic application.

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O câncer é a doença que mais causa mortes no mundo, configurando-se, na atualidade, como um dos mais importantes problemas de saúde pública. O século XX se destacou por um avanço na pesquisa de produtos naturais, especialmente oriundos de plantas utilizadas na terapêutica antineoplásica. Estudos in vitro podem ser realizados em culturas celulares, possibilitando a caracterização dos mecanismos de ação, eficácia e seletividade de substâncias provenientes de espécies vegetais. Neste trabalho demonstramos alguns resultados obtidos através do tratamento de células de uma linhagem humana de câncer cervical (SiHa) com diferentes preparações oriundas de espécies vegetais nativas (óleos essenciais e extrato bruto aquoso), usando metodologias de fácil execução e economicamente viáveis. Tais metodologias visam a avaliação de parâmetros importantes para o crescimento e estabelecimento de células tumorais, tais como adesão celular, migração, recuperação da viabilidade após a retirada do tratamento e formação de colônias. Nossos resultados demonstraram que tais tratamentos reduziram de forma significativa os parâmetros mencionados, exemplificando a importância das ferramentas metodológicas aqui descritas para a triagem e desenvolvimento de novas terapias antitumorais.