Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence by Cinnamaldehyde, the Major Constituent of the Chinese Medicinal Herb Ramulus Cinnamomi

Abstract

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common disorder in middle-aged women and the elderly population. Although surgical treatment of SUI has progressed, pharmacological therapies remain unelucidated. We screened potential herbal medicines against SUI with an ex vivo organ bath assay. Ramulus Cinnamomi and its major constituent cinnamaldehyde cause a high contractile force of the urethra and a low contractile force of blood vessels. Cinnamaldehyde dose-dependently reduced lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in RAW 264.7 cells. In the vaginal distension- (VD-) induced SUI model in mice, cinnamaldehyde significantly reversed the VD-induced SUI physical signs and reduced blood pressure. Cinnamaldehyde may offer therapeutic potential against SUI without the possible side effect of hypertension. The modulation of several SUI-related proteins including myosin, iNOS, survival motor neuron (SMN) protein, and superoxide dismutase 3 (SOD3) may play some crucial roles in the therapeutic approach against SUI. This information may offer clues to the pathogenesis of SUI and open additional avenues for potential therapy strategies.

Simultaneous determination of cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, and 2-methoxy cinnamic acid in rat whole blood after oral administration of volatile oil of Cinnamoni Ramulus by UHPLC-MS/MS: An application for a pharmacokinetic study

“…Among them, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, and 2-methoxy cinnamic acid were reported as the major bioactive compounds. Cinnamaldehyde, the most plentiful content, had been reported to have anti-stress urinary incontinence, anti-inflammation, anti-thrombic and anti-antitumor activities [5][6][7][8][9]. Cinnamic acid had been considered to possess anti-bactericidal, anti-oxidation, and anti-cancer activities [10][11][12].…”

The traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Cinnamomi ramulus: a review

“…Ethanol extract of Cinnamomi ramulus (ECR) and its isolated compounds such as eugenol and cinnamic acid showed potent antioxidant activity in vitro and protective effect against gastric damage in vivo . In the vaginal distension (VD‐)‐induced mouse stress urinary incontinence (SUI) model, cinnamaldehyde could inhibit stress urinary incontinence (SUI) by elevating urethral pressure and reducing blood pressure . Besides, a study indicated that Cinnamomi ramulus provides a new choice for the treatment of refractory candidiasis commonly seen in HIV/AIDS patients …”

Urethral Dysfunction in Female Mice with Estrogen Receptor β Deficiency

“…The peak bladder pressure was taken as the LPP. At least three LPPs were obtained for each animal, and the mean LPP was calculated [43] , [44] .…”