A reader of
the previous post on cinnamon left a helpful comment highlighting research that suggests yet another
reason why Cinnamon might be an effective treatment for some types of autism.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Mast
cells (MC) are main effector cells of allergic and other inflammatory
reactions; however, only a few anti-MC agents are available for therapy. It has been reported that
cinnamon extract (CE) attenuates allergic symptoms by affecting immune cells;
however, its influence on MC was not studied so far. Here, we analyzed
the effects of CE on human and rodent MC in vitro and in vivo.
METHODS:
Expression
of MC-specific proteases was examined in vivo in duodenum of mice following
oral administration of CE. Release of mediators and phosphorylation of
signaling molecules were analyzed in vitro in human MC isolated from intestinal
tissue (hiMC) or RBL-2H3 cells challenged with CE prior to stimulation by FcεRI
cross-linking.
RESULTS:
Following
oral treatment with CE, expression of the mast cell proteases MCP6 and MC-CPA
was significantly decreased in mice. In hiMC, CE also caused a reduced
expression of tryptase. Moreover, in hiMC stimulated by IgE cross-linking, the
release of β-hexosaminidase was reduced to about 20% by CE. The de novo synthesis of cysteinyl
leukotrienes, TNFα, CXCL8, CCL2, CCL3, and CCL4, was almost completely
inhibited by CE. The
attenuation of mast cell mediators by CE seems to be related to particular
signaling pathways, because we found that activation of the MAP kinases ERK,
JNK, and p38 as well as of Akt was strongly reduced by CE.
CONCLUSION:
CE decreases expression of mast
cell-specific mediators in vitro and in vivo and thus is a new plant-originated
candidate for anti-allergic therapy
In a later
study by the same authors they identify Cinnamaldehyde as the main
mediator of cinnamon extract in mast cell inhibition.
A chemistry note:
Cinnamon contains three major compounds (cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl
acetate and cinnamyl alcohol), which are converted into cinnamic acid by
oxidation and hydrolysis, respectively. In the liver, this cinnamic acid is
β-oxidized to benzoate that exists as sodium salt (sodium benzoate; NaB) or
benzoyl-CoA.
As is often
the case with natural substances with medicinal properties, it is unclear which
constituent provides the benefit, or whether there is a synergistic benefit
between them.
As I
suggested in an earlier post, even though Sodium benzoate (NaB) has been shown
to be the reason for some of cinnamon’s benefits and is widely available, I
propose to use cinnamon itself.
The mast
cell benefits of cinnamon come from cinnamaldehyde and may not be
produced by the metabolite NaB.
Purpose
In terms of their involvement in allergic and
inflammatory conditions, mast cells (MC) can be promising targets for medical
agents in therapy. Because of
their good compliance and effectiveness, phytochemicals are of great interest
as new therapeutic tools in form of nutraceuticals. We found recently that
cinnamon extract (CE) inhibits mast cell activation. Here, we analysed the
effects of a major compound of CE, cinnamaldehyde (CA), on mast cell
activation.
Conclusions
CA decreases release and expression of
pro-inflammatory mast cell mediators. This inhibitory action is similar to the
effects observed for CE indicating CA as the main active compound in CE leading
to its anti-allergic properties.
Conclusion
Today’s post gives a particular reason for people with
autism, allergies and mast cell issues to trial cinnamon.
The only thing to be careful of is histamine
intolerance. This does affect several
readers of this blog.
The main cause of histamine intolerance is an impaired histamine
degradation caused by genetic or acquired impairment of the enzymatic function
of DAO or HNMT.
One reader pointed out that the cheap 23andme genetic
test includes the genes for histamine intolerance (this service is no longer available in all countries).
The sodium benzoate (NaB) produced by cinnamon is a DAO
inhibitor and so will further impair histamine degradation in people with
genetic impairment.
In most people, even
if they have allergies, a teaspoon of cinnamon will not affect their ability to
degrade histamine.