Antioxidant Activity of Cinnamon zeylanicum: (A Review)

Cinnamon zeylanicum is one of the species of cinnamon plant from the family of Lauraceae. It is not only the main ingredient of spices but also exhibits many medicinal properties. Anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-tyrosinase, anti-carcinogenic and anti-mutagenic are some of the activities shown by cinnamon. Radical scavenging and reducing properties of cinnamon are considered as beneficial and important in the field of medicine. Cinnamon zeylanicum consists of a variety of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in different parts of plant. These compounds play major role in antioxidant potential just because of their significant structure and moieties. Cinnamon essential oils are also used for treatment of chronic disorders and it proves to be best alternative to synthetic antioxidants. In present review article we summarized the Cinnamon zeylanicum antioxidant activity by using antioxidant assays, its chemical constituents, its beneficial effects on humans and its applications in various industries as antioxidants.

Inhibitory Effects of Essential Oils of Cinnamon zeylanicum and Myristica fragrans against Brucella abortus 544 Inoculated in Fresh Baladi Cheese

Background: Essential Oils (EOs) are natural metabolic products of plants that contain a condensed chemical hydrophobic liquid compounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate inhibitory effects of EOs of Cinnamon zeylanicum and Myristica fragrans against Brucella abortus 544 inoculated in fresh Baladi cheese. Methods: Fresh Baladi cheese was manufactured from experimentally contaminated milk with B. abortus 544 in combination of EOs of C. zeylanicum or M. fragrans. Cheese samples were periodically subjected to further microbiological surveys at different storage times (0, 1, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h). The inhibition zone diameter and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) against tested strain were also determined. Statistical analyses were conducted by GraphPad Prism Statistical Software. Results: The inhibition zone diameter of the paper disk were 9.5±0.5 and 16±0.57 mm at 1% concentration of M. fragrans and C. zeylanicum EOs, respectively; and 15±0.28 and 21±0.76 mm at 5% concentration of M. fragrans and C. zeylanicum EOs, respectively. The values of inhibition zone diameters were significantly (p<0.0001) different between the two selected concentrations of 1% and 5% for the studied EOs. Also, anti-Brucella activity of C. zeylanicum was significantly (p<0.0001) more than that of M. fragrans EO. Conclusion: Due to the appropriate anti-Brucella activity, C. zeylanicum EO could be applied as an effective natural preservative in the production of fresh Baladi cheese. Conversely, using M. fragrans EO could not protect the fresh Baladi cheese against Brucella.

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Plant Extracts Combined with Endodontic Sealer on the Growth of Oral Pathogen - An In Vitro Study

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of synthetic sealing material (Zinc oxide eugenol based sealer- Pulp canal sealer EWT) and medicinal plant extracts (Glycyrrhiza glabra, Zingiber officinale, Cinnamon zeylanicum) individually and in combination against oral pathogen (Enterococcus faecalis). Methods: The herbal extracts were independently mixed in different ratios with zinc oxide powder, followed by mixing with eugenol to know the effective concentration using antibacterial assay. Different concentrations of each test material were placed into Agar diffusion wells and zones of inhibition were measured against the selected bacteria. The concentration with maximum zone of inhibition for each test material was assessed and grouped as group I- Glycyrrhiza glabra and pulp canal sealer EWT, group II-Zingiber officinale and pulp canal sealer EWT, group III-Cinnamon zeylanicum and pulp canal sealer EWT,Group IV- Plain pulp canal sealer EWT and compared. Results: It was found that all the groups exhibited varied antimicrobial activity against test microorganism. Highest antimicrobial efficacy was noticed in group III followed by group II, group I and least with group IV samples. Conclusion: Zinc oxide eugenol based sealer with plant extracts produced inhibitory zones against tested microorganism. Hence the plant extract can be added as one of the component of endodontic sealer, but further clinical trials need to be conducted before recommending them as sealers.

SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC AND HPTLC STUDIES ON SELECTED INDIAN SPICE EXTRACTS

The present work was carried out with a view to analyze the major phytochemical compounds of Indian spices, dalchini (Cinnamon zeylanicum) bark and coriander (Coriander sativum) fruit. Hydro-alcoholic extracts were prepared from selected spices and analyzed for extract yield, loss on drying (LOD) and pH. phytochemical compounds such as total alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids and tannins were quantified by spectrometric methods. Hydro-alcoholic extracts from selected spices revealed the pH to be between 5.36-5.62, loss on drying 12.54–15.41% and extract yield 8.62–29.19%w/w. Among the investigated samples, higher levels of alkaloids (2.63%) and flavanoids (3.42%) were found in C. sativum while C. zeylanicum exhibited high content of total phenolics (3.35%) and tannins (0.82%). The hydro-alcoholic extracts were subjected to HPTLC analysis and the results suggested the presence of two different major phytochemical compounds in C. zeylanicum, whereas Coriander sativum extract displayed three major peak. C. sativum extracts showed relatively similar spots with Rf values, which indicates the presence of four similar types of flavonoids in each extract. Due to the presence of various phytochemical constituents and favorable extract yield, LOD and pH, the presently investigated spice extracts can be used in drug formulations.