Abstract

Cinnamomum cassia is widely used to treat intestinal diseases, abdominal pain, helminth infections, digestion, stimulates digestive enzyme secretion, enhances appetite, reduces bloating, and indigestion. However, the chemical composition and biological properties of the essential oil of Cinnamomum cassia collected in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, have not been investigated. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify the chemical composition of Cinnamomum cassia essential oil. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and the agar disc diffusion method were used to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the essential oil, respectively. Experimental data indicate that the leaf, flower, and bark portions of the tree all contain essential oils, with the bark exhibiting the highest content, ranging from 1-4%. Lower contents are found in the leaves and fruits, at 0. 3-0. 9%. The major components of the essential oils are as follows: in the bark, cinnamaldehyde (77. 3%) and cinnamaldehyde (57. 7%); in the branch, trans-cinnamyl acetate (27. 6%); in the leaf, cinnamaldehyde (53. 5%) and (Z)-9-octadecenamide (19. 5%), and in the root, cinnamaldehyde (58. 3%) and p-methoxy cinnamic aldehyde (12. 0%). The strong antioxidant and antibacterial effects of Cinnamomum cassia essential oil were demonstrated with an IC50 value of 6. 25±0. 3 μg/mL and with resistance of 89. 70%, respectively. Our results indicate that the essential oil of Cinnamomum cassia collected in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, has great potential in the pharmaceutical industry.