Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Cinnamon Bark Oil (Cinnamomum burmannii (Nees & T. Nees) Blume from Lombok Timur Indonesia

Abstract

Introduction: Research related to alternative medicine from natural ingredients that can relieve the effects of inflammation is important, especially to reduce the unwanted side effects of antiinflammatory drugs. Cinnamomum burmannii (Nees & T. Nees) Blume is a native Indonesian species which contains essential oils and reported for its anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, this research was conducted to determine the metabolite profile and anti-inflammatory effect of essential oil from the bark of C. burmannii (CBO) from Lombok Timur Regency. Methods: The metabolite profile of CBO was determined using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectra (GCMS). The anti-inflammatory test was conducted used male Wistar rats. A total of 30 male rats were divided into 5 groups, each group consisting of 6 rats. Rats were injected with carrageenan 1%/100μl/paw which had previously been given oral CBO at a dose of 30, 60, 90 mg/kg BW. Paw swelling was measured at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hours after injection. The volume of edema was measured and the animals were sacrificed. The left leg was cut and preserved as material for Hematoxylin Eosin (HE) and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) preparations. The variables taken were the percentage of inhibition edema, the number of inflammatory cells by HE and the amount of TNF-α by IHC staining. Results: The results showed that there was a difference between negative control and positive control in the number of inflammatory cells and TNF-α observed in rat’s paw edema. The number was less in the positive control. Likewise, when administering CBO (60 mg/kg BW and 90 mg/kg BW) the number of inflammatory cells and TNF-α was lower than the negative control. Conclusion: It can be concluded that CBO from Lombok Timur can be used as a natural anti-inflammatory agent. Key words: Cinnamomum burmannii, Metabolites profile, Inflammatory cells, TNF-α, Immunohistochemical staining