ABSTRACT
Chronic inflammation is a contributing factor in many age-related diseases. In a previous study, we have shown that Sri Lankan cinnamon (C. zeylanicum) was one of the most potent anti-inflammatory foods out of 115 foods tested. However, knowledge about the exact nature of the anti-inflammatory compounds and their distribution in the two major cinnamon species used for human consumption is limited. The aim of this investigation was to determine the anti-inflammatory activity of C. zeylanicum and C. cassia and elucidate their main phytochemical compounds. When extracts were tested in LPS and IFN-γ activated RAW 264.7 macrophages, most of the anti-inflammatory activity, measured by down-regulation of nitric oxide and TNF-α production, was observed in the organic extracts. The most abundant compounds in these extracts were E-cinnamaldehyde and o-methoxycinnamaldehyde. The highest concentration of E-cinnamaldehyde was found in the DCM extract of C. zeylanicum or C. cassia (31 and 34 mg g(-1) of cinnamon, respectively). When these and other constituents were tested for their anti-inflammatory activity in RAW 264.7 and J774A.1 macrophages, the most potent compounds were E-cinnamaldehyde and o-methoxycinnamaldehyde, which exhibited IC50 values for NO with RAW 264.7 cells of 55 ± 9 µM (7.3 ± 1.2 µg mL(-1)) and 35 ± 9 µM (5.7 ± 1.5 µg mL(-1)), respectively; and IC50 values for TNF-α of 63 ± 9 µM (8.3 ± 1.2 µg mL(-1)) and 78 ± 16 µM (12.6 ± 2.6 µg mL(-1)), respectively. If therapeutic concentrations can be achieved in target tissues, cinnamon and its components may be useful in the treatment of age-related inflammatory conditions.
Subject(s)
Acrolein/analogs & derivatives , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/isolation & purification , Cinnamomum aromaticum/chemistry , Cinnamomum zeylanicum/chemistry , Dietary Supplements , Macrophages/metabolism , Acrolein/analysis , Acrolein/chemistry , Acrolein/isolation & purification , Acrolein/metabolism , Animals , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/analysis , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/chemistry , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/metabolism , Cell Line , Cinnamomum aromaticum/growth & development , Dietary Supplements/analysis , Ethnopharmacology , Macrophage Activation , Macrophages/immunology , Medicine, Traditional , Mice , Molecular Structure , Nitric Oxide/antagonists & inhibitors , Nitric Oxide/metabolism , Plant Bark/chemistry , Plant Bark/growth & development , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Plant Extracts/isolation & purification , Plant Extracts/metabolism , Sri Lanka , Stereoisomerism , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/antagonists & inhibitors , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolismABSTRACT
Regenerated cortex of two-year old and three-year old Cortex Cinnamomi were studied on description and microscopic characters and compared with six-year old primary cortex. This provided a evidence for relarging the sources of Cortex Cinnamomi.
