Anti-inflammatory activity of cinnamon water extract in vivo and in vitro LPS-induced models

Background: Cinnamon bark is one of the most popular herbal ingredients in traditional oriental medicine and possesses diverse pharmacological activities including anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-cancer properties. The goal of this study is to investigate the in vivo and in vitro inhibitory effect of cinnamon water extract (CWE) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and its underlying intracellular mechanisms. Methods: CWE was orally administrated to mice for 6 days prior to intraperitoneal injection of LPS. Serum levels of TNF-alpha and interleukin (IL)-6 were determined 1 hour after LPS stimulation. Peritoneal macrophages from thioglycollate-injected mice were isolated and assayed for viability, cytokine expression and signaling molecules upon LPS stimulation. CWE was further fractioned according to molecular size, and the levels of total polyphenols and biological activities of each fraction were measured. Results: The oral administration of CWE to mice significantly decreased the serum levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6. CWE treatment in vitro decreased the mRNA expression of TNF-alpha. CWE blocked the LPS-induced degradation of I kappa B alpha as well as the activation of JNK, p38 and ERK1/2. Furthermore, size-based fractionation of CWE showed that the observed inhibitory effect of CWE in vitro occurred in the fraction containing the highest level of total polyphenols. Conclusions: Treatment with CWE decreased LPS-induced TNF-alpha in serum. In vitro inhibition of TNF-alpha gene by CWE may occur via the modulation of I kappa B alpha degradation and JNK, p38, and ERK1/2 activation. Our results also indicate that the observed anti-inflammatory action of CWE may originate from the presence of polyphenols.