γCyclodextrin-assisted Aqueous Extract of Cinnamon for Cancer and Stress Management

Aim: Our goal was to investigate the use of Cyclodextrin in creating an aqueous extract of Cinnamon with a high content of its bioactive ingredients, validated by cell-based assays.

Background: Due to their safety and cost-effectiveness, natural compounds have garnered attention for cancer therapy, which often faces challenges related to drug toxicity and resistance. Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum; also known as Ceylon Cinnamon) is a commonly used spice with a history in folk medicine for treating various ailments. However, its active ingredients suffer from poor solubility, stability, and bioavailability, which limits its use and benefits.

Objective: We prepared γCyclodextrin (γCD)-assisted aqueous extract of Cinnamon (CD-CIN) and compared its activity with the DMSO extract (DM-CIN).

Methods: The cells were exposed to CD-CIN and DM-CIN extracts under normal and stressed (oxidative, metal, and hypoxic) conditions and then analyzed for stress and cancerous phenotypes using various molecular assays.

Results: We found that CD-CIN possesses considerable anticancer activity that involves the activation of tumor suppressor proteins and DNA damage response. Low, non-toxic concentrations of DM-CIN and CD-CIN caused comparable inhibition of migration and invasion capability of cells, supported by molecular marker analyses. Furthermore, protection against oxidative, metal, and hypoxia stress, as well as induction of differentiation, was recorded in both DM-CIN and CD-CIN treated cells, as compared to the control.

Conclusion: We report CD-CIN as a new economic and easy Cinnamon-derived resource that possesses considerable anticancer and antistress activities and hence warrants further chemical, in vitro, and in vivo studies.