Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activities of Methanolic Extract of Cinnamomum Cassia

Background: Cinnamomum cassia or Chinese cinnamon is one of the fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. C. cassia is used as astringent, antiseptic, and used for the treatment of metabolic disorders. The antioxidant and antidiabetic effects of its extracts are unclear. Hence, the present study is planned to investigate the antioxidant and antidiabetic effects of methanolic extracts barks of C. cassia. Materials and Methods: Bark of C. cassia was extracted with methanol, ethanol, and acetone and its antioxidant activity was studied using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) free radical scavenging assays. Acute toxic effect of methanolic extract of C. cassia (MECC) carried out as Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines. MECC was studied for its antidiabetic effect using streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Results: In both DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging assay, methanolic and ethanolic extracts exhibited free radical scavenging activity. In acute toxicity testing, MECC did not show any significant toxic signs up to 2000 mg/kg, hence the antidiabetic activity of MECC was carried out at the dose levels of 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg. MECC showed antidiabetic activity from 2nd week of the experiment onward. At the end of the study, diabetic animals showed significant increases in the levels of total cholesterol (TC), very-low-density lipoprotein, and TC/high-density lipoprotein radio compare with that of normal control and MECC prevented the STZ-induced hyperlipidemia. In the histopathological analysis, sections from the liver, pancreas, and kidney of the diabetic animals and the animals treated with MECC 500 mg/kg showed mid-to-moderate toxic effects. Conclusion: The MECC exhibited significant antioxidant and antidiabetic activities.