The main objective was to investigate the cytotoxic properties of Cocos nucifera shell crude extract. The invitro antiproliferative activity against HeLa cells was measured by MTT assay which significantly decreased the number of HeLa cells by dose dependent manner with IC50 of 1.77mg/ml. However, the cytotoxic activity was found due to the apoptosis induced in HeLa cells, which was demonstrated by DNA fragmentation analysis. The expression of apoptosis related genes, p53 and Bcl2 were analyzed by RT PCR. The apoptosis triggered by Cocos nucifera shell extract in HeLa cells was associated with the downregulation of Bcl-2 gene expression. These findings demonstrate that the shell extracts of Cocos nucifera presents excellent cytotoxic properties with beneficial virtues. © RJPT All right reserved.