Cinnamon Extract and Cinnamaldehyde Inhibit the Replication of T2 Bacteriophage in E. coli: Potential for Use in Antiviral and Anticancer Therapy

Abstract

An extract of cinnamon inhibits the growth of bacteria, viruses and cancer cells. At concentrations of 1, 2, 4, and 8 ml per 100 ml of Luria-Bertani broth, cinnamon extract had virtually no effect on the growth of E. coli. At the same concentrations, however, the yield of T2 bacteriophage was 98, 76, 64.5, and 61.8% of the control. Addition of cinnamon extract 37 min before infection produced a yield of 73.3% of the control, at 76 min before infection, a yield of 67.4% of the control and at 150 min before infection, a yield of 59.2% of the control. With 1 ml of cinnamon extract, the yield of T2 bacteriophage was 76% of the control. With cinnamon extract plus 15 mM glutamine, the yield was 87.8% of the control; with 30 mM glutamine, the yield was 92.6% of the control and with 45 mM glutamine the yield was 113.1% of the control. With cinnamon extract plus 1, 2, and 3 mM nucleosides, the yield was 75.8, 88.0, and 92.6% of the control. Results with cinnamaldehyde are similar to those with cinnamon extract. These results suggest that cinnamon extract and cinnamaldehyde inhibit the replication of T2 bacteriophage by inhibiting the metabolism of glutamine and the synthesis of nucleotides. These results mimic results with diazo-oxo-norleucine (DON). DON has been shown to be useful inhibiting cancer in mice but its side effects in humans rule it out as a successful prolonged treatment. These experiments demonstrate that cinnamaldehyde may be as effective an agent to treat virus infections and certain types of cancer in humans as DON without having the side effects of DON.

Keywords: Cinnamon extract, cinnamaldehyde, T2 bacteriophage, antiviral therapy, anticancer therapy