本研究的目的是分析臺灣原生種土肉桂 (Cinnamomum osmophloeum Kaneh.,以下簡稱土肉桂) 樹葉精油的主要物質,並檢視其在活體內的毒性及細胞激素調節作用。以HS-GC/MS 及HPLC進行分析,結果發現土肉桂樹葉精油的主要化合物為肉桂醛 ( cinnamaldehyde )、苯甲醛 ( benzaldehyde )及3-苯丙醛 ( 3-phenylpropionaldehyde ),其濃度分別為16.88、1.28及 1.70 mg/ml。在急性及亞急性毒性試驗中發現:每公斤老鼠體重給予 1 ml 土肉桂樹葉精油或 4 mg肉桂醛,對老鼠的體重、肝臟及腎臟功能指數及病理上沒有顯著性變化。利用過敏原ovalbumin (OVA) 致敏的Balb/C 老鼠,每天以不同濃度的土肉桂樹葉精油或肉桂醛處理,四星期後建立出鼠科動物模式,利用商品化的 ELISA kits 進行試驗,結果顯示:以土肉桂樹葉精油處理的老鼠並無顯著性的細胞激素調節作用,但是以每公斤體重處理1 mg肉桂醛的老鼠,在4星期內,血清中的 IL-2、IL-4及 IL-10 的濃度皆有顯著性的增加,而 IFN-γ 則否,這顯示不能排除有其他成分是肉桂醛的拮抗劑之可能性。
The purpose of this study was to analyze the major compound in the leaf essential oil of Cinnamomum osmophloeum Kaneh. and examine its in vivo toxicity and cytokine-modulatory effects. The HS-GC/MS and quantitative HPLC analyses showed the concentrations of major compounds, cinnamaldehyde, benzaldehyde, and 3-phenylpropionaldehyde, in the leaf essential oil of Cinnamomum osmophloeum to be 16.88, 1.28, and 1.70 mg/ml, respectively. Acute and sub-acute toxicity tests identified no significant changes in body weight, liver and kidney function indices, and pathology for the mice treated with up to 1 ml/kg body weight of Cinnamomum osmophloeum leaf essential oil or up to 4 mg/kg body weight of cinnamaldehyde. A murine model was established using ovalbumin (OVA)-primed Balb/C mice treated with various concentrations of Cinnamomum osmophloeum leaf essential oil or cinnamaldehyde daily for 4 weeks. The results of tests using commercial ELISA kits indicated no significant cytokine-modulatory effects in mice treated with Cinnamomum osmophloeum leaf essential oil; however, serum concentrations of IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10 but not IFN-γ significantly increased in animals treated with 1 mg/kg body weight of cinnamaldehyde during the 4-week period. The possibility that the other constituents act as antagonists of cinnamaldehyde cannot be excluded.