Abstract
Cinnamaldehyde (CNM) is a cyclic terpene alcohol found as the major compound
of essential oils from some plants of the genus Cinnamomum (Lauraceae). CNM
has several reported pharmacological activities, including antimicrobial, antivirulence, antioxidant,
and immunomodulatory effects. These properties make CNM an attractive lead
molecule for the development of anti-infective agents. In this descriptive review, we discuss
the application of CNM in experimental models of microbial infection using invertebrate
and vertebrate organisms. CNM (pure or in formulations) has been successfully applied
in the treatment of infections caused by a range of bacterial (such as Cronobacter
sakazakii, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae,
Vibrio cholerae) and fungal (such as Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans and
Cryptococcus neoformans) pathogens. All these experimental evidence-based findings
have promoted the use of cinnamaldehyde as the leading molecule for developing new anti-
infective drugs.
Keywords:
Cinnamomum sp., Essential oils, virulence factors, immunomodulation, anti-infective agents, experimental models.
[25]
Mooyottu, S.; Kollanoor-Johny, A.; Flock, G.; Bouillaut, L.; Upadhyay, A.; Sonenshein, A.L.; Venkitanarayanan, K. Carvacrol and trans-cinnamaldehyde reduce clostridium difficile toxin production and cytotoxicity in vitro. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2014, 15, 4415-4430.
[46]
Ribeiro, M.; Malheiro, J.; Grenho, L.; Fernandes, M.H.; Simões, M. Cytotoxicity and antimicrobial action of selected phytochemicals against planktonic and sessile Streptococcus mutans. PeerJ, 2018, 2018, e4872.
[88]
Deng, J.; Wang, G.; Li, J.; Zhao, Y.; Wang, X. Effects of cinnamaldehyde on the cell wall of A. fumigatus and its application in treating mice with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Evid.-based Compl. Altern. Med., 2018, 2018, 5823209.
[104]
Abd El-Zaher, E.H.F.; El-Shouny, W.A.E.F.; Shabana, S.A.; El-Salam, O.A. Efficiency of essential oils as antifungal agents against Aspergillus fumigatus KY026061 causing Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA). Egypt. J. Bot., 2019, 59, 595-604.
[123]
Liu, F.; Türker Saricaoglu, F.; Avena-Bustillos, R.J.; Bridges, D.F.; Takeoka, G.R.; Wu, V.C.H.; Chiou, B. Preparation of fish skin gelatin-based nanofibers incorporating cinnamaldehyde by solution blow spinning. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2018, 19, 618.
[144]
Ananda Baskaran, S.; Venkitanarayanan, K. Plant-derived antimicrobials reduce E. coli o157:H7 virulence factors critical for colonization in cattle gastrointestinal tract in vitro. BioMed Res. Int., 2014, 2014, 212395.
[153]
Zhang, H.; Zhou, W.; Zhang, W.; Yang, A.; Liu, Y.; Jiang, Y.; Huang, S.; Su, J. Inhibitory effects of citral, cinnamaldehyde, and tea polyphenols on mixed biofilm formation by foodborne Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enteritidis. J. Food Protect., 2014, 77, 927-933.