Cinnamomum cassis is one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicines in China. Its genuine producing areas distribute in Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. As an important edible herb and export variety of China, the quality control and internationalization of quality standards of C. cassis is extremely significant. In the recent years, with the development of the cinnamon industry, relevant academic research and the upgrade of the international standards, it is necessary to summarize the quality-related progress of C. cassis. In the present review, the germplasm resources, specific quality marker(Q-marker) and quality standards of C. cassis were summarized on the basis of published research during the last 10 years.
China ; Cinnamomum ; Cinnamomum aromaticum ; Cinnamomum zeylanicum ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Thirteen compounds were isolated and purified from the leaves of Cinnamomum camphora by the macroporous resin,silica gel,and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies. Those compounds were further identified by IR,UV,MS,and NMR techniques:( 2 S)-1-( 3″,4″-methylenedioxy phenyl)-3-( 2',6'-dimethoxy-4'-hydroxyphenyl)-propan-2-ol( 1),( 2 R,3 R)-5,7-dimethoxy-3',4'-methylenedioxy flavanol( 2),9-hydroxysesamin( 3),sesamin( 4),piperitol( 5),kobusin( 6),(-)-aptosimon( 7),acuminatolide( 8),1β,11-dihydroxy-5-eudesmene( 9),lasiodiplodin( 10),vanillin( 11),p-hydroxybenzaldehyde( 12),and p-hydroxybenzoic acid ethyl ester( 13). Compound 1 was a novel compound,and compounds 2,6,7,9 and 10 were isolated from Cinnamomum plants for the first time. Compounds 4,7 and 10 were found to possess good inhibitory effect on IL-6 production in LPS-induced BV2 cells at a concentration of 20 μmol·L-1 in the in vitro bioassay,with inhibition rates of 51. 26% ± 4. 13%,67. 82% ± 3. 77% and85. 81%±1. 19%,respectively.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology* ; Cinnamomum ; Cinnamomum camphora ; Plant Leaves

Cinnamomum camphora is an important economic tree species in China. According to the type and content of main components in the volatile oil of leaf, C. camphora were divided into five chemotypes, including borneol-type, camphor-type, linalool-type, cineole-type, and nerolidol-type. Terpene synthase(TPS) is the key enzyme for the formation of these compounds. Although several key enzyme genes have been identified, the biosynthetic pathway of(+)-borneol, which has the most economic value, has not been reported. In this study, nine terpenoid synthase genes CcTPS1-CcTPS9 were cloned through transcriptome analysis of four chemical-type leaves. After the recombinant protein was induced by Escherichia coli, geranyl pyrophosphate(GPP) and farnesyl pyrophosphate(FPP) were used as substrates for enzymatic reaction, respectively. Both CcTPS1 and CcTPS9 could catalyze GPP to produce bornyl pyrophosphate, which could be hydrolyzed by phosphohydrolase to obtain(+)-borneol, and the product of(+)-borneol accounted for 0.4% and 89.3%, respectively. Both CcTPS3 and CcTPS6 could catalyze GPP to generate a single product linalool, and CcTPS6 could also react with FPP to generate nerolidol. CcTPS8 reacted with GPP to produce 1,8-cineol(30.71%). Nine terpene synthases produced 9 monoterpene and 6 sesquiterpenes. The study has identified the key enzyme genes responsible for borneol biosynthesis in C. camphora for the first time, laying a foundation for further elucidating the molecular mechanism of chemical type formation and cultivating new varieties of borneol with high yield by using bioengineering technology.
Cinnamomum camphora/enzymology* ; Alkyl and Aryl Transferases/chemistry*

PURPOSE: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum. cassia and C. aromaticum) on the glycemic response with a focus on the preparation of dehydrated powder and water extract. METHODS: We searched Pubmed, Cochrane, EMBASE, Science Direct, and the Korean Studies Information Service System (KISS) through May 2017. In the meta-analysis for the preparation of powder, eight trials reporting fasting blood glucose (FBG), four trials reporting HbA1c, and three trials reporting the postprandial glycemic response were included. For the water extract, six trials reporting FBG and four trials reporting HbA1c were eligible for this study. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled effect size. RESULTS: Cassia cinnamon powder intake significantly lowered FBG by −1.55 mmol/L (95% CI, −2.45, −0.64; p = 0.001) and the AUC of postprandial blood glucose level by −51.8 mmol/L·min (95% CI, −85.5, −18.1; p = 0.003). There was a significant difference in FBG between water extract of cinnamon and placebo of −0.76 mmol/L (95% CI, −1.09, −0.43; p = 0.000). However, blood HbA1c level was not significantly altered by any preparation of cinnamon. No statistical heterogeneity was observed for any analysis except in the case of FBG for cinnamon powder. Results of funnel plots and Egger's regression suggest a low likelihood of publication bias in all biomarkers (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: According to this meta-analysis, there was possible evidence to support a relationship between cassia cinnamon intake and fasting glucose in both preparation of powder and water extract. Furthermore, new evidence of the health benefits on postprandial glucose regulation of cinnamon powder was obtained.
Area Under Curve ; Biomarkers ; Blood Glucose ; Cassia* ; Cinnamomum aromaticum ; Cinnamomum zeylanicum* ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Information Services ; Insurance Benefits ; Population Characteristics ; Publication Bias ; Water*

Demand for dietary fibre-enriched and low sugar bakery products is rapidly increasing due to the current high incidence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cinnamon, a spice which acts as a natural sweetener and insulin mimetic is believed to have health benefits. The objective of this study was to determine the properties of butter biscuits containing cinnamon powder (CP) that partially replaced sucrose at levels of 0 (control), 2, 4 or 6%. Methods: Nutritional composition, physical properties and sensory acceptability of the biscuits were analysed using AOAC methods, texture profile analyser and 7-point hedonic scaling method, respectively. Results: Protein, ash and dietary fibre contents of the biscuits increased significantly (P < 0.05) whereas the moisture and sucrose contents were reduced significantly, proportionately to the increasing levels of CP. In texture profile analyses, increment of firmness and reduction of crispiness of the biscuits were detected with increasing levels of CP, but not significantly. The sensory scores for control and 2% CP biscuits were not significantly different for all the sensory attributes. Biscuits with 4% CP received lower scores only for aroma and appearance whereas the scores for colour, crispiness and flavour showed no significant differences compared to the control and 2% CP biscuit. Conclusion: The addition of 4% CP in biscuit could be an effective way to produce nutritious butter biscuits without any apparent change to its desirable physical properties and sensory acceptability.
Cinnamomum zeylanicum ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Dietary Fiber ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

OBJECTIVETo measure and compare the content of d-borneol in the different parts of Cinnamomum camphora by GC-MS.

METHODWith water-steam distillation and GC-MS method, d-borneol was extracted and determined.

RESULTThe linear range of d-borneol was 0.4-2.8 microg (r = 0.999 9). The average recovery was 95.40%, and RSD was 0.56%.

CONCLUSIONThe method is simple and accurate with good separation. The content of d-borneol in the dried leaves 63.97% in the crude exfract. It can provide the proof of the exploitation of C. camphora.

Bornanes ; analysis ; Cinnamomum camphora ; chemistry ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Plant Extracts ; analysis ; Plant Structures ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo optimize the condition of callus of Cinnamonum camphora induced.

METHODGC and plant tissue culture method were applied in the study.

RESULTThe effect of callus induced and the growth of callus were different in MS medium with different proportion of hormone. The ration of callus induced was the highest and the growth of callus was the most prosperous in the MS medium with 4 mg x L(-1) 2,4-D and 0.2 mg x L(-1) 6-BA. It is found that callus induced by young leaf contained borneol, but callus induced by young stem not.

CONCLUSIONThe optimization of callus of C. camphora induced is using the MS medium with 4 mg x L(-1) 2,4-D + 0.2 mg x L(-1) 6-BA. Callus induced by young leaf can generate borneol.

Bornanes ; metabolism ; Cinnamomum camphora ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Culture Media ; Tissue Culture Techniques

The 5-phosphomevalonate kinase(PMK) is a key enzyme in mevalonate(MVA) pathway which reversibly catalyzes the phosphorylation of mevalonate 5-phosphate(MVAP) to form mevalonate-5-diphosphate(MVAPP) in the presence of ATP and divalent metal ion such as Mg~(2+). In this research, on the basis of the transciptome database of Cinnamomum camphora, the PMK was cloned by cDNA from C. camphora, and was named CcPMK(GenBank number KU886266). The ORF of CcPMK was composed of 1 545 bp, encoding 514 amino acids. The bioinformatics analysis of CcPMK indicated that the molecular weight of the encoded protein was 56.14 kDa, with a theoretically isoelectric point of 7.64, and there was no signal peptide and transmembrane structure in putative protein. By multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analysis, we found that similarity between CcPMK and PMK amino acid sequence of other plants was as high as 75%. Among the similar sequences, 45% of them belonged to the alpha helix, while 16% belonged to the beta strand. CcPMK obtained 3 PMK protein family motifs and 1 ATP binding site Gly-Leu-Gly-Ser-Ser-Ala-Ala, and its 3 D structure contained a catalytic pocket structure, proving CcPMK as a member of PMK gene family. The result of phylogenetic tree showed that CcPMK was closely related to monocotyledon plants such as Phonenix dactylifera. The results of the Real-time PCR indicated that the expression level of CcPMK in borneol type was higher than that in linalool type, cineol type, iso-nerolidol type and camphor type. CcPMK expressed highest in roots and lowest in branches. Our results revealed that the expression level of CcPMK was different among five chemical types and different plant tissues, and the research provides foundation for further study of the terpenoids biosynthetic pathway in C. camphora.
Cinnamomum camphora/genetics* ; Cloning, Molecular ; Genes, Plant ; Phosphotransferases (Phosphate Group Acceptor)/genetics* ; Phylogeny ; Sequence Alignment

The present study evaluated the effects of a mixture of Galla rhois and Cinnamomum cassia extracts (GCE) (1 : 1, w/w) on susceptibility to the colonization of Campylobacter (C.) jejuni in broilers. Eighty two-week-old broilers (n = 20 per group) were used to estimate the efficacy of GCE against C. jejuni infection via drinking water. Antibacterial activity testing revealed that the minimum bactericidal concentration of GCE against C. jejuni was 2.5 mg/mL. Broilers challenged with C. jejuni were administered 0.0 (Non-GCE), 2.5 (GCE-2.5), 5.0 (GCE-5.0) and 10.0 g/L (GCE-10) GCE for 7 days, and the cecal contents were collected from five broilers per group on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th day post-treatment. On day 3 post-administration, the number of C. jejuni in GCE-5.0 (p < 0.05) and GCE-10 (p < 0.01) was significantly decreased relative to Non-GCE, while on day 7 those in all GCE-treated groups were significantly decreased compared to the Non-GCE group (p < 0.001). Hematological and blood biochemical analysis revealed no significant differences in parameters between the Non-GCE and GCE-treated groups. Based on the results of the present study, GCE was identified as a safe and alternative candidate to suppress C. jejuni colonization in broilers.
Campylobacter jejuni* ; Campylobacter* ; Chickens* ; Cinnamomum aromaticum* ; Cinnamomum* ; Colon* ; Drinking Water

Essential oils of leaves and trunk barks of Cinnamomum cassia J.S. Persl. of two different origins (Quang Nam and Thanh Hoa) have been grown in Phuoc Son district, Quang Nam province were selected and analyzed by GC/MS. The barks of Quang Nam origin gave higher oil percentage and cinnamaldehyde content (6.80% and 88.74%, respectively), while those of Thanh Hoa origins were only 0.65% and 67.39%, respectively
Cinnamomum aromaticum ; Oils, Volatile ; Plant Leaves