Dietary Indigenous Cinnamon (Cinnamomum osmophloeum) Leaf Powder Reduces Plasma Lipid in Hypercholesterolemia Hamsters

Abstract

Indigenous cinnamon ( Cinnamomum osmophloeum Kaneh) is a native tree species in Taiwan and has been reported to have various bioactivities including insecticidal, larvicidal, and antimicrobial effects. The chemical finger print of C. osmophloeum is similar to that of commercial cinnamon species with lower coumarin content. The present study was aimed to investigate the antidyslipidemia effects of indigenous cinnamon ( Cinnamomum osmophloeum Kaneh) leaf powder (CoLP) on hypercholesterolemia hamsters. Hyperlipidemia was induced by high-cholesterol (HChol) diet for 4 weeks. Two percent and 5% CoLP, and gemfibrozil (positive control; 0.25%) were administered for 10 weeks following HChol diet. Control groups were fed with normal diet (ND) or ND+5% CoLP. Behavioral, physiological, and serum biochemical parameters were determined. We found that oral administration of CoLP for 10 weeks significantly reduced the HChol-induced increase of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein levels in plasma of hamsters. In addition, HChol-induced elevation of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and glutamic pyruvic transaminase levels was significantly reversed by CoLP in a dose-dependent manner, whereas blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels were unaffected. Further standard diagnostic tests support that consumption of CoLP did not show any behavioral and morphological changes in hamsters. Furthermore, chemical composition analysis revealed that two new flavanol glycosides, kaempferol-3- O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-l-arabinofuranosyl-7- O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (4) and kaempferol-3- O-β -d-apiofuranosyl-(1→2)-α-l-arabinofuranoside (5) along with 4 known flavonoid glycosides were identified in leaves of C. osmophloeum. Taken together, these results concluded that CoLP possessed strong antidyslipidemic effects. Therefore, C. osmophloeum leaves could be a safe food supplement for treating hypercholesterolemia.