In vitro study reveals cytotoxic activity of Eugenia superba essential oil in osteosarcoma and non-tumor cells, highlighting its sesquiterpene-rich profile and therapeutic potential.
Eugenia superba DC. (Myrtaceae) is a large tree from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a biodiversity hotspot with many chemically unexplored aromatic species. This study reports on the chemical composition and cytotoxic activity of the essential oil obtained from E. superba leaves. The oil was obtained by hydrodistillation in 0.7% yield and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Forty-nine constituents were identified, representing 91.3% of the total composition. The oil showed a sesquiterpene-rich profile, with (E)-caryophyllene (14.4%), δ-selinene (8.5%), amorpha-4,7(11)-diene (8.2%), trans-muurola-4(14),5-diene (6.2%), and δ-cadinene (5.7%) as major constituents. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay against MG-63 osteosarcoma cells and HaCaT non-tumor keratinocytes. The oil reduced cell viability with IC50 values of 96.96 and 82.72 µg/mL, respectively. These findings provide the first chemical and biological characterization of E. superba essential oil.
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Braga et al. (2026) studied this question.
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