In vitro tumor growth inhibition by the ethanol extract of Miconia fallax DC. (Melastomataceae) was evaluated in culture media containing HeLa cells at the following concentrations: 5, 15, 25, 35, and 45 µg/mL. Bioassay-guided fractionation of this extract furnished a mixture of ursolic and oleanolic acids. Both the ethanol extract and the mixture of the triterpenoid acids produced dose-dependent tumor growth inhibition. This antitumor activity was more pronounced when a mixture of the triterpene acids at a concentration of 45 µg/mL was added to a HeLa cell culture medium.

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