Eugenol: in vitro characterization of the cytotoxic profile at the level of colorectal carcinoma cells

In the present study, the main objective was to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of eugenol on colorectal carcinoma cells - HCT116, as well as on healthy human keratinocytes - HaCaT. Eugenol has been evaluated for its impact on cell viability, morphology, nuclei, and actin filament structure and organization. According to the findings of this study, eugenol is not associated with a significant decrease in cell viability at the level of keratinocytes. Aside from that, no significant morphological changes were observed, and the nuclei and actin filaments were organized similarly to those of control cells. Conversely, in the case of tumour cells, eugenol reduced their viability in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the concentration of 0.5 mM induced morphological changes at the level of actin filaments and nuclei characteristic of apoptosis (rounding of cells, condensation of chromatin, reorganization of actin filaments). These results provide evidence for the possibility of eugenol being an effective anti-tumour agent. However, it is necessary to conduct further research in order to elucidate the biological mechanisms involved.