Plain language summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still a growing concern around the world. Current treatments for the prevention of CVD are inadequate due to limited efficacy and the occurrence of side effects and so there is a need for new therapies. Cinnamaldehyde (CA), which is an active constituent of cinnamon has been reported to have protective effects against certain diseases and evidence is growing for its use against the initiation and development of CVD. This review study aimed to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of CA. The review reported that CA is a compound that is relatively safe but is not easily absorbed by the body, however it can be encapsulated into capsules that enable it to be more easily absorbed. CA was reported to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antithrombotic, blood cell dilatory and blood sugar lowering properties. In addition, CA was shown to prevent the death of cells of the heart and modulate the gut microbiota all of which may be cardioprotective. It was concluded that CA can benefit the heart in several ways. This study could be used by healthcare professionals to understand that cinnamon may be of benefit to heart health, however as studies in humans were not reviewed, further research is warranted before recommendations are made.
Abstract
Evidence from epidemiological studies has demonstrated that the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) increase year by year, which pose a great threat on social economy and human health worldwide. Due to limited therapeutic benefits and associated adverse effects of current medications, there is an urgent need to uncover novel agents with favorable safety and efficacy. Cinnamaldehyde (CA) is a bioactive phytochemical isolated from the stem bark of Chinese herbal medicine Cinnamon and has been suggested to possess curative roles against the development of CVDs. This integrated review intends to summarize the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic features of CA and discuss the recent advances in underlying mechanisms and potential targets responsible for anti-CVD properties of CA. The CA-related cardiovascular protective mechanisms could be attributed to the inhibition of inflammation and oxidative stress, improvement of lipid and glucose metabolism, regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis, suppression of cardiac fibrosis, and platelet aggregation and promotion of vasodilation and angiogenesis. Furthermore, CA is likely to inhibit CVD progression via affecting other possible processes including autophagy and ER stress regulation, gut microbiota and immune homeostasis, ion metabolism, ncRNA expression, and TRPA1 activation. Collectively, experiments reported previously highlight the therapeutic effects of CA and clinical trials are advocated to offer scientific basis for the compound future applied in clinical practice for CVD prophylaxis and treatment.
Methodological quality
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