Research Progress on Cinnamon Extract: Components, Pharmacological Effects, and Application Prospects

Cinnamon extract, derived from plants of the Cinnamomum genus (such as Ceylon cinnamon Cinnamomum verum and Chinese cinnamon C. cassia), possesses a variety of bioactivities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic effects, due to its rich active components. This paper reviews the main chemical components of cinnamon extract, their mechanisms of pharmacological action, and their application potential in fields such as food and medicine. It also discusses its safety and future research directions.

1. Introduction

Cinnamon, as a traditional spice and medicinal plant, has a history of application spanning thousands of years. Modern research has shown that its extract is rich in cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, polyphenols, and terpenoid compounds, exhibiting a wide range of biological activities. With the in-depth study of natural products, cinnamon extract has gained increasing attention in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases and the development of functional products.

2. Main Components and Chemical Structure

The active components of cinnamon extract mainly include:

Volatile Components:

· Cinnamaldehyde (60-80%): Imparts a unique aroma and possesses antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects (Figure 1a).

· Eugenol: Antioxidant and analgesic activity.

Polyphenols:

· Procyanidins: Powerful antioxidants that can scavenge free radicals.

· Cinnamtannins: Regulate glucose and lipid metabolism.

· Coumarins: Attention should be paid to their potential hepatotoxicity. Chinese cinnamon has a higher content (approximately 1%), while Ceylon cinnamon has a lower content (0.04%).

3. Pharmacological Effects

3.1 Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory

Cinnamon polyphenols enhance the expression of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GSH) by activating the Nrf2 pathway and inhibit the release of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6) by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway (Mancini-Filho et al., 2018).

3.2 Hypoglycemic and Improved Insulin Resistance

Mechanism: Inhibits α-glucosidase to delay carbohydrate absorption and enhances insulin receptor phosphorylation (Qin et al., 2012). Clinical trials have shown that daily intake of 1-6g of cinnamon powder can reduce fasting blood glucose by 10-29% (Allen et al., 2013).

3.3 Antibacterial Effect

Cinnamaldehyde disrupts bacterial cell membranes and has significant inhibitory effects on drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli (Vasconcelos et al., 2018).

3.4 Anti-tumor Potential

In vitro experiments have shown that cinnamaldehyde induces tumor cell apoptosis (e.g., through caspase-3 activation) and inhibits angiogenesis (Kwon et al., 2010).

4. Application Areas

Food Industry: Natural preservatives (replacing sodium benzoate), used for the preservation of meat and baked goods.

Pharmaceutical Field: Auxiliary diabetes management (e.g., cinnamon capsules), development of anti-microbial agents.

Cosmetics: Added to anti-aging products to resist ultraviolet-induced oxidative damage.

5. Safety Assessment

Short-term Use: Relatively safe within the recommended dose (≤6g/day), may cause oral mucosal irritation.

Long-term Risks: Excessive coumarin intake (>0.1mg/kg body weight/day) can cause liver damage. Ceylon cinnamon is recommended as a priority.

Contraindicated Population: Pregnant women, patients with liver disease, and those taking anticoagulant medications should use with caution.

6. Conclusion and Prospects

Cinnamon extract, with its multi-target mechanism of action, shows broad prospects in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases and the development of functional foods. Future research needs to focus on:

· Standardized extraction processes to improve the stability of active components;

· Conducting large-scale clinical trials to verify long-term efficacy;

· Developing low-toxicity coumarin varieties or synthetic derivatives to optimize safety.