The anti-inflammatory effects of cinnamyl alcohol on sepsis-induced mice via the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.

Background: Sepsis is an excessive inflammatory response to an infection that fails to return to homeostasis. It occurs frequently in patients following a primary infection or injury and is one of the most common causes of mortality in hospitalized patients. However, there is currently no specific and effective therapy for the management of sepsis. Previous findings have suggested that cinnamon and cinnamon extracts have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities and therefore, may be effective in treating sepsis. Methods: In the present study, Results: Administration of cinnamyl alcohol by gavage effectively reduced the mortality of septic mice (70% survival), compared to untreated septic mice (50% survival). The histological findings indicated that cinnamyl alcohol reduced the inflammatory reaction in the liver, heart, lungs, and kidneys of the septic mice. In the circulatory system, the concentrations of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 were significantly decreased by cinnamyl alcohol administration compared to the untreated septic group. Western blot analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) demonstrated that cinnamyl alcohol decreased the expression of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a C-terminal caspase recruitment domain (ASC), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor 3 (NLRP3), and caspase-1 in the liver, heart, lungs, and kidneys of the mice, suggesting that cinnamyl alcohol alleviated sepsis syndrome via the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. Conclusions: Cinnamyl alcohol may be a novel therapeutic candidate for the treatment of sepsis syndrome.