Comparative study on major chemical constituents in volatile oil of true cinnamon (<i>Cinnamomum verum</i> Presl. syn. <i>C. zeylanicum</i> Blum.) and five wild cinnamon species grown in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The genus Cinnamomum has 250 species distributed from South, East and South East Asia to Australia. There are eight species of cinnamon grown in Sri Lanka, of which, Cinnamomum verum Pres1 (syn. C. zeylanicum Blume) which is widely cultivated in the country. In addition, seven other species of wild cinnamon are also grown which are endemic to Sri Lanka which are considered wild cinnamon. In this study, six Cinnamomum species were selected namely Cinnamomum verum, Cinnamomum dubium Nees (Sinhala: Sewel Kurundu or Wal Kurundu), Cinnamomum citriodorum (Sinhala: Pangiri Kurundu), Cinnamomum rivulorum Kostermans, Cinnamomum sinharajense Kostermans, Cinnamomum capparu-corende (Sinhala: Kapuru Kurundu). Much work has been carried out with Cinnamomum verum, however, work on wild cinnamon varieties is scanty. In this backdrop, this study was carried out to identify and quantify the major chemical constituents of volatile oils obtained from bark and leaves of wild and true cinnamon species cultivated or grown in Sri Lanka. It was revealed that leaf oil of Cinnamomum verum contains significantly (p<0.05) higher percentage of volatile oil (3.23%). The highest bark oil content (3.53%) was observed in Cinnamomum sinharajense, the lowest leaf oil (0.41%) and stem bark oil (0.51%) contents were observed in the Cinnamomum rivulorum. Fifteen major volatile chemical constituents were identified by Liquid Gas Chromatographic analysis in the essential oils obtained from bark and leaf of different cinnamon species. The highest cinnamaldehyde content (67.57%) was observed in Cinnamomum verum. Cinnamomum sinharajense contained comparatively higher amount of cinnamaldehyde (57.46%) than the other wild cinnamon species. The highest euginol content (87.53%) was observed in Cinnamomum sinharajense leaf. When compared with the chemical composition of Cinnamomum dubium leaf oil, geraniol was the most abundant (24.05%) among the volatile chemical constituents. β-Caryophyllene (41.31%) was identified in Cinnamomum dubium stem bark oil. The highest Euginol (22.29%) content was present in essential oil obtained from Cinnamomum rivulorum stem bark which was not observed in other cinnamon species.

Effect of Cinnamomum verum leaf essential oil on virulence factors of Candida species and determination of the in-vivo toxicity with Galleria mellonella model

“…The results of the chemical analysis of the C. verum leaf EO agree with the findings of previous studies, which indicate that eugenol is its most abundant chemical component (77.22%) whereas the other chemical compounds appear in smaller concentrations. (40) The high occurrence and mortality rates associated with Candidiasis emphasise the urgent necessity for the introduction of new therapeutic approaches to treat candidiasis. Various studies conducted by multiple research groups has provided important knowledge about the pathogenesis of candidiasis, (15,41) and this knowledge should represent a starting point for the transformation of their findings into treatment strategies that can directly benefit patients suffering from Candida and other infections.…”

“…The results of the chemical analysis of the C. verum leaf EO agree with the findings of previous studies, which indicate that eugenol is its most abundant chemical component (77.22%) whereas the other chemical compounds appear in smaller concentrations. 40 …”

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) Oil as a Potential Alternative to Antibiotics in Poultry

“…The antioxidant activity of the extract was 345.2 µM Fe +2 /g dry mass using FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assay and with an IC50 value of 38.5 µg/mL using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assay. Liyanage et al [22] revealed that the highest percentage of volatile component (3.23%) was found in Cinnamomum verum leaf oil. Cinnamomum sinharajense recorded the highest bark oil content (3.53%), while Cinnamomum rivulorum recorded the lowest stem bark oil (0.51%) and leaf oil (0.41%) contents.…”

Bioactive Natural Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils from Spice Plants: New Findings and Potential Applications

“…General information: The true cinnamon ( C. zeylanicum , C. verum Lauraceae), also known as Ceylon cinnamon, is a plant originating from India and Sri Lanka, where it is used as a spice and in traditional medicine to treat different human diseases [ 76 ]. Cinnamon spice is obtained from different parts of the plants, such as the trunk bark, root, leaves, and flowers [ 77 ].…”