Characterization and pharmacokinetics of cinnamon and star anise compound essential oil pellets prepared via centrifugal granulation technology.

Cinnamon and star anise essential oils are extracted from natural plants and provide a theoretical basis for the development and clinical application of compound essential oil pellets. However, cinnamon oil and star anise oil have the characteristics of a pungent taste, extreme volatility, poor palatability, and unstable physical and chemical properties, which limit their clinical use in veterinary medicine. In this study, the inhibitory effects of cinnamon oil and star anise oil on Escherichia coli and Salmonella were measured. Compound essential oil pellets were successfully prepared by centrifugal granulation technology. Subsequently, the in vitro dissolution of the pellets and their pharmacokinetics in pigs were investigated. The results showd that, cinnamon and star anise oils showed synergistic or additive inhibitiory effects on Escherichia coli and Salmonella. The oil pellets had enteric characteristics in vitro and high dissolution in vitro. The pharmacokinetic results showed that the pharmacokinetic parameters Cmax and AUC were directly correlated with the dosage and showed linear pharmacokinetic characteristics, which provided a theoretical basis for the development and clinical application of compound essential oil pellets.

Loading cinnamon oil into pH-sensitive chitosan grafted mesoporous silica nanoparticles via supercritical carbon dioxide.

Stimulus-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have displayed great potentiality for controlled-release and targeted drug delivery. In the current work, a supercritical fluid method was utilized to successfully prepare cinnamon oil loaded into chitosan grafted MSNs (CO@CS-MSNs). The influencing factors of drug loads, such as pressure, temperature, impregnation time and depressure time, were investigated. The structure of CO@CS-MSNs was demonstrated with Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry (TG) as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD). The drug release assays in vitro at various pH conditions displayed that CO@CS-MSNs had an excellent pH-responsive release behavior, which confirmed that CO was loaded successfully into the CO@CS-MSNs. The findings indicated that the supercritical fluid approach is a non-destructive and efficient approach for stimulus-responsive MSNs, which is expected to further expand its application range.

Cryopreservation of bovine semen using extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum.

BACKGROUND: Antioxidants minimise oxidative stress and enhance sperm quality in the process of cryopreservation. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of Cinnamomum zeylanicum extract as an additive during the post-dilution and post-thaw stages of Murrah buffalo semen cryopreservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The semen sample was diluted using Tris-Egg-Yolk-Citric-Acid-Fructose-Glycerol extender and subsequently divided into three groups: Group 1, TEYCAFG without any additives or controls (C); Group 2, TEYCAFG fortified with a 50 ug/mL aqueous extract of cinnamon (T1); and Group 3, TEYCAFG fortified with a 50 ug/mL ethanolic extract of cinnamon (T2). The evaluation included an assessment of progressive motility, live spermatozoa, sperm abnormalities, HOST, CMPT, and enzyme leakage (GOT and GPT) at both the post-dilution and post-thaw stages. RESULTS: The groups that received cinnamon supplementation demonstrated statistically significant improvements (p<0.05) in various parameters, including an increase in the progressive motility, live spermatozoa, and HOS-positive spermatozoa, as well as greater distance traveled by vanguard spermatozoa compared to the control group. Furthermore, the cinnamon-added groups exhibited a significant decrease (p<0.05) in the percentage of sperm abnormalities and lower enzyme leakage (GOT and GPT) in post-thawed semen. CONCLUSION: Aqueous extract of C. zeylanicum at a concentration of 50 µg/mL provides superior protection of sperm structures and functions as compared to both the ethanolic extract of C. zeylanicum at the same concentration and the control group. Doi.org/10.54680/fr24310110712.

Assessment of the potential effects of l-carnitine and cinnamon supplementation on weight loss and body composition.

OBJECTIVE: Aim: To assess efficacy of L-carnitine and cinnamon alone and in combination on body composition parameters in addition to compare between them. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods: Sample of 28 obese and overweight adults in Babylon city, sample collection includes patients in places, or by internet, where interview take place according to specialize questionnaire height, weight, and body mass index were measured. RESULTS: Results: A significant differences P<0.05 among gender distribution between male and female. A significant difference between (150-160 cm, 160-170 cm) as compared with (170-180 cm, 180-190 cm). A significant difference between 170-180 cm as compared with 180-190 cm but non-significant differences between 150-160 cm as compared with 160-170 cm. A significant difference between 26-35 as compared with 36-45, 46-55, but non-significant differences between 36-45 as compared with 46-55. A significant difference between body weight, body fat, water content, skeletal muscle, and body mass index after treatment, but non-significant differences between protein, and inorganic salt after treatment and at baseline. A significant difference between body weight, water content, skeletal muscle, and body mass index in group treated with cinnamon as compared with negative control group, but non-significant differences between body fat, protein, and inorganic salt as compared with negative control group. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The prevalence of overweight and obesity within accepted range of that reported in Iraq, important relationship was reported between several life style risk factor, as soon as diagnose increase in weight and education health program for behavior of life style were high recommended.

Potential fungicidal and antiaflatoxigenic effects of cinnamon essential oils on Aspergillus flavus inhabiting the stored wheat grains.

Wheat is one of the essential crops for the human and animal nutrition, however, contamination with aflatoxigenic fungi, due to the improper storage conditions and high humidity, was the main global threats. So, preventing the growth of aflatoxigenic fungi in stored wheat grains, by using different essential oils was the main objective of this work. Aspergillus flavus EFBL-MU12 PP087400, EFBL-MU23 PP087401 and EFBL-MU36 PP087403 isolates were the most potent aflatoxins producers inhabiting wheat grains. The effect of storage conditions of wheat grains "humidity, temperature, incubation period, and pH" on growth of A. flavus, was assessed by the response surface methodology using Plackett-Burman design and FCCD. The highest yield of aflatoxins EFBL-MU12 B1 and B2 by A. flavus grown on wheat grains were 145.3 and 7.6 µg/kg, respectively, at incubation temperature 35°C, 16% moisture contents, initial pH 5.0, and incubated for 14 days. The tested oils had a powerful antifungal activity for the growth and aflatoxins production by A. flavus in a concentration-dependent manner. Among these oils, cinnamon oil had the highest fungicidal activity for A. flavus at 0.125%, with about 85-90 % reduction to the aflatoxins B1 and B2, conidial pigmentation and chitin contents on wheat grains. From the SEM analysis, cinnamon oils had the most deleterious effect on A. flavus with morphological aberrations to the conidial heads, vegetative mycelia, alteration in conidiophores identity, hyphae shrank, and winding. To emphasize the effect of the essential oils on the aflatoxins producing potency of A. flavus, the molecular expression of the aflatoxins biosynthetic genes was estimated by RT-qPCR. The molecular expression of nor-1, afLR, pKsA and afLJ genes was suppressed by 94-96%, due to cinnamon oil at 0.062% compared to the control. Conclusively, from the results, cinnamon oils followed by the peppermint oils displayed the most fungicidal activity for the growth and aflatoxins production by A. flavus grown on wheat grains.

Efectos de Cinnamomum zeylanicum en niveles glucémicos en pacientes con diabetes tipo 2: ensayo clínico aleatorizado / Effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum on glycemic levels in patients with type 2 diabetes: Randomized clinical trial

Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto del consumo de suplemento de Cinnamomum zeylanicum (canela) en los niveles glucémicos de adultos mexicanos con diabetes tipo 2. Métodos: Se realizó un ensayo clínico aleatorizado simple ciego con 30 pacientes >18 años con diabetes tipo 2, se aleatorizaron en los grupos: intervención y control; donde consumieron cápsulas con 2 gramos de C. zeylanicum o harina de trigo (placebo) diario por 12 semanas y se midieron variables antropométricas y bioquímicas (HbA1c, GPa, triglicéridos, colesterol total, HDL y LDL). Se utilizó el software IBM SPSS versión 23 y se aplicó la prueba T-Student y U-Mann Withney para muestras independientes (según el comportamiento de la variable) para las diferencias entre grupos, valores p<0.05 fueron considerados estadísticamente significativos. Resultados: No se observaron cambios significativos en HbA1c entre grupos (p>0.05). Sin embargo, post-tratamiento el grupo intervención disminuyó significativamente HbA1c al compararlo con su línea base (-0.41%, p=0.01) mientras que no se encontraron diferencias en el grupo control (+0.03%, p=0.64). No hubo diferencias significativas en variables antropométricas ni bioquímicas. Conclusiones: El consumo de 2 g de C. zeylanicum en mexicanos con diabetes tipo 2 no produjo cambios significativos entre grupos. Se sugieren nuevos estudios donde se evalúe el suplemento de canela con una muestra mayor. ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT04023539. (AU)

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon) supplement use on the glycemic levels of Mexican adults with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A single-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted with 30 patients over 18 years of age with type 2 diabetes. They were randomized into intervention and control groups where they took 2-gram capsules of Cinnamomum zeylanicum or wheat flour (placebo) daily for 12 weeks; then the anthropometric and biochemical variables HbA1c, FPG, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL were measured. IBM SPSS version 23 software was used and the Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U test for independent samples (according to the behavior of the variable) were applied for differences between groups, p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: No significant changes in HbA1c were seen between the two groups (p>0.05). However, post-treatment, the HbA1c value in the intervention group decreased significantly when compared to their baseline (-0.41%, p=0.01), while no differences were found in the control group (+0.03%, p=0.64). There were no significant differences in the anthropometric or biochemical variables. Conclusions: The consumption of 2 g of Cinnamomum zeylanicum in Mexican people with type 2 diabetes did not produce significant changes between the groups. New studies evaluating cinnamon supplementation on a larger sample size are suggested. ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT04023539. (AU)

Exploring the mechanism of action of the combination of cinnamon and motherwort in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: A network pharmacology study.

Cinnamon and motherwort are traditional Chinese medicines and are often combined to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia; however, the specific therapeutic mechanisms involved remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, we applied a network pharmacology approach to investigate the potential mechanisms of action of the drug pair cinnamon and motherwort (PCM) for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Relevant targets for the use of PCM to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia were obtained through databases. Protein-protein interactions were then identified by the STRING database and core targets were screened. Enrichment analysis was conducted through the Metascape platform. Finally, molecular docking experiments were carried out to evaluate the affinity between the target proteins and ligands of PCM. We identified 22 active ingredients in PCM, 315 corresponding targets and 130 effective targets of PCM for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. These targets were related to the PI3K-Akt, MAPK, FoxO, TNF, and IL-17 signaling pathways. Network pharmacology was used to identify the effective components and action targets of PCM. We also identified potential mechanisms of action for PCM in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Our results provide a foundation for expanding the clinical application of PCM and provide new ideas and directions for further research on the mechanisms of action of PCM and its components for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

3D printed cinnamon essential oil/banana peel carbon dots loaded corn starch/gelatin bilayer film with enhanced functionality for food packaging application.

Using 3D printing technology, a gelatin-polyvinyl alcohol­carbon dots (GPC) layer+corn starch-polyvinyl alcohol-cinnamon essential oil (CPC) layer active bilayer film with an external barrier function and an internal controlled-release effect was successfully produced for food preservation. The GPC film was provided with potent antioxidant and UV blocking properties by the banana peel carbon dots (CDs). The cinnamon essential oil (CEO) had the strongest interaction with the film matrix at 3% (w/w), causing the CPC film having the lowest surface wettability, good integrity, and lowest crystallinity. The CEO's stability and releasing effectiveness were greatly enhanced by the creation of a bilayer film. At 60% filling rate of the CPC layer, the bilayer film showed the highest CEO retention after drying and the best CEO release performance. Finally, the created active bilayer film was found to significantly improve the sensory quality stability of the spicy essential oil microcapsule powders. It also successfully extended the mangoes' shelf life by delaying browning and rot.

Development of innovative active packaging films using gelatin/pullulan-based composites incorporated with cinnamon essential oil-loaded metal-organic frameworks for meat preservation.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of cinnamon essential oil (CEO)-loaded metal-organic frameworks (CEO@MOF) on the properties of gelatin/pullulan (Gel/Pull)-based composite films (Gel/Pull-based films). The incorporation of CEO@MOF into Gel/Pull-based films demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, S. enterica, E. coli, and L. monocytogenes. Additionally, CEO@MOF integrated film exhibited a 98.16 % ABTS radical scavenging, with no significant change in the mechanical properties of the neat Gel/Pull film. The UV blocking efficiency of the composite films increased significantly from 81.38 to 99.56 % at 280 nm with the addition of 3 wt% CEO@MOF. Additionally, Gel/Pull/CEO@MOF films effectively extended the shelf life of meat preserved at 4 °C by reducing moisture loss by 3.35 %, maintaining the pH within the threshold limit (6.2), and inhibiting bacterial growth by 99.9 %. These results propose that CEO@MOF has significant potential as an effective additive in active packaging to improve shelf life and food safety.

Effect of cinnamon powder on quality attributes and off-flavor in fried chicken drumsticks made from long-term thawed Korean native chicken.

The effect of cinnamon powder on the quality and mitigation of off-flavor in fried chicken drumsticks made from long-term thawed Korean native chicken (Woorimatdag No. 1, WRMD1) was investigated. The WRMD1 drumsticks were categorized into 5 groups: conventional thawing (16 h, CT), long-term thawing (48 h, LT), cinnamon powder added into 'LT' as marinade (0.03%, CM) or incorporated into the batter (1.35%, CB), and long-term thawing with cinnamon powder incorporated both in the marinade and batter (0.03% + 1.35%, CMB). The crude fat content was significantly higher in the CT and CMB than that of the CB. The CM, CB, and CMB showed significantly lower levels of 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance compared with the CT and LT. The predominant fatty acids in all treatments were C18:1n9, C18:2n6, and C16:0. The LT displayed lower total unsaturated fatty acid content than the CT (P < 0.05). The CM effectively decreased lipid oxidative volatiles, such as 1-octanol, 1-octen-3-ol, and 2-octen-1-ol, (E), in the LT (P < 0.05). Both the CM and CB showed an inclination to increase specific pyrazines associated with pleasant notes compared with the LT, and showed higher levels of pyrazines, such as pyrazine, 2-ethyl-6-methyl-, and pyrazine, 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethyl-, than those of the CMB (P < 0.05). The CM contained higher levels of 2,3-butanedione when compared with the other groups (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that cinnamon had an effect in discriminating the treatment groups with cinnamon addition from both the CT and LT, whereas the CM, CB, and CMB formed distinct clusters. The CM and CMB received significantly higher aroma scores from panelists in comparison to the other groups. These findings suggest that the CM (0.03% cinnamon powder) can be used to enhance the aroma in fried WRMD1 drumsticks by reducing or masking the off-flavor volatiles associated with long-term thawing.

Zein and tannic acid hybrid particles improving physical stability, controlled release properties, and antimicrobial activity of cinnamon essential oil loaded Pickering emulsions.

Pickering emulsion loading essential oil has demonstrated a promising strategy as delivery system in food preservation, but localization in stability and antimicrobial activity limits application. In this study, Pickering emulsions co-loaded with tannic acid and cinnamon essential oil (ZTC) have been developed based on zein and tannic acid complexes (ZT) mediated interfacial engineering. Fourier transform infrared, fluorescence spectroscopy, and molecular docking results indicated tannic acid altered the structural of zein. Interfacial tension results indicated that tannic acid accelerated the adsorbed speed of zein particles by decreased interfacial tension (11.99-9.96 mN/m). ZT5 formed a viscoelastic and dense layer in oil-water interface than that for other ZTs, which improved stability and control release performance of ZTC. Furthermore, the ZTC showed an effective antimicrobial activity against spoilage organisms Pseudomonad paralactis MN10 and Lactobacillus sakei VMR17. These findings provide new insight for developing co-loaded multiple antimicrobial agents within Pickering emulsion as a delivery system.

An in vitro study elucidating the synergistic effects of aqueous cinnamon extract and an anti-TNF-α biotherapeutic: implications for a complementary and alternative therapy for non-responders.

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a critical pro-inflammatory cytokine, and its abnormal production is associated with several immune mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID). Biological anti-TNF-α therapy includes treatment with monoclonal antibodies such as infliximab which have proven successful and are well-tolerated in most patients. Unfortunately, some patients may not respond to therapy (primary non-responders) or may lose sensitivity to the biological agent over time (early and late secondary non-responders). Natural products can reduce inflammation and act synergistically with small molecules or biologics, although evidence remains limited. This study aimed to investigate whether complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) could play a role in infliximab non-responders. Reportedly, cinnamon can help manage chronic inflammatory conditions owing to its anti-inflammatory properties. METHODS: We studied the synergistic effects of cinnamon and infliximab in vitro using a two-step approach. First, we investigated whether cinnamon and infliximab act synergistically. Second, we selected conditions that supported statistically significant synergy with infliximab and studied the mRNA expression of several genes involved in non-response to infliximab. We used aqueous cinnamon extract (aCE) from Cinnamomum cassia, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and Cinnamomum loureiroi and bioactive trans-cinnamaldehyde (TCA), cinnamic acid (CA), and eugenol to study the synergy between infliximab and aCE/bioactive compounds using bioassays in fibroblast (L929) and monocytic (U937) cell lines, followed by qPCR for molecular-level insights. TCA, C. cassia aCE, and C. zeylanicum aCE demonstrated a dose-dependent synergistic effect with infliximab. Moreover, we saw differential gene expression for adhesion molecules, apoptotic factors, signaling molecules, and matrix remodelers in presence and absence of aCE/bioactives. RESULTS: CAM supplementation was most effective with C. cassia aCE, where a synergistic effect was observed for all the tested genes specifically for MMP-1, BcL-xL, Bax and JAK2, followed by TCA, which affected most of the tested genes except TLR-2, MMP1, MMP3, TIMP-1, and BAX, and C. zeylanicum aCE, which did not affect ICAM-1, VCAM-1, TLR-2, TLR-4, MMP1, MMP3, TIMP-1, and STAT3. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, cinnamon acted synergistically with infliximab to mitigate inflammation when used as an extract. Purified bioactive TCA also showed synergistic activity. Thus, aCE, or cinnamon bioactive may be used as a CAM to improve patients' quality of life.

Assessing the efficacy of cinnamon compounds against H. pylori through molecular docking, MD Simulations and ADMET analyses.

Antibiotics are the drugs that are used for the management of microbial diseases. However, these conventional synthetic drugs can harmfully affect the human health. Since phytochemicals are extracted from natural sources and, are hence relatively safer for human health, they are the enticing alternatives in this regard. Cinnamon is also one of those plants which is being employed as herbal medication for centuries against certain microbial infections due its significant therapeutic effectiveness. A well-known pathogenic bacterium called H. pylori causes a wide range of illnesses in human body. This pathogen's pathogenicity is determined by certain virulent proteins. In this study, some of such proteins, which included virB4, virB8, and virB9 were selected to evaluate the therapeutic efficiency of cinnamon compounds. These proteins were identified in different isolates of H. pylori. The structural modelling of all these proteins were performed initially in order to proceed them for molecular docking analysis. While, the docking studies illustrated that one of the cinnamon compounds, cinnamyl acetate, showed significant binding interactions with virB4 and virB9. However, benzyl benzoate which is another cinnamon compound, docked well with virB8. Afterwards, the MD simulations were incorporated to explore the interaction motions and structural stability of all the docked complexes. In this regard, the resultant maps of Bfactor, eigenvalues and elastic network model, among other factors ensured the structural stabilities of all the respective complexes. After these crucial estimations, benzyl benzoate and cinnamyl acetate underwent the ADMET investigation to assess their pharmacokinetic characteristics. SwissADME and ADMETLab 2.0 server were employed for this investigation. The compiled findings these servers revealed that both, benzyl benzoate and cinnamyl acetate, exhibited a significant level of pharmacokinetic and drug-likeness conformity.

CoSn(OH)6 nanocubes as a solid sorbent for the effective preconcentration of copper ions in cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) extract.

This study was aimed at developing a simple and efficient CoSn(OH)6 nanocubes-based preconcentration method for the preconcentration of copper ions from cinnamon extracts for determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The cube-shaped sorbent was synthesized using the simple stoichiometric co-precipitation method under ambient conditions. Experimental factors of the method were evaluated with a comprehensive optimization approach to maximize the extraction efficiency for the analyte. Under the optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), and linear dynamic range were recorded as 0.98 µg/L, 3.28 µg/L, and 4.0-75 µg/L, respectively. The enhancement factor was calculated as 101.6-fold by comparing the LODs of the optimized and direct analysis systems. Percent recoveries were found to be within an acceptable range (77.6-115 %), with high repeatability using matrix matching calibration strategy. Results validated the proposed method as a highly efficient extraction approach for the monitoring of copper ions in herbal cinnamon extracts.

Fabrication and characterization of emulsion-based edible film containing cinnamon essential oil using chia seed mucilage.

Chia seed mucilage (CSM) film incorporated with 2, 4, and 6 % (w/w) nanoemulsion of cinnamon essential oil (CSM-2, CSM-4, CSM-6) were developed, and their physicochemical, mechanical, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties were determined. According to the results, cinnamon EO nanoemulsion (CEN) had droplet size 196.07 ± 1.39 nm with PDI 0.47 ± 0.04. Moreover, CSM film had higher water solubility (99.37 ± 0.05 %) and WVP (8.55 ± 1.10 g/kPa h m2) than reinforced CSM films with CENCEN. The lowest water solubility (98.02 ± 0.01 %) and WVP (3.75 ± 0.80 g/kPa h m2) was observed in CSM-6 film. Moreover, the addition of CEN improved the homogeneity and density of films and the smoothness of the surface, being observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy also confirmed the incorporation of CEN within the film matrix. The CSM films' antioxidant (DPPH radical scavenging power) and antimicrobial (against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) properties of CSM films were notably enhanced with the inclusion of CEN in a dose-dependent manner. The mechanical (tensile strength and elongation at break) of CSM films also was affected by the addition of CEN, TS decreased, and EAB increased (p < 0.05). The lowest TS (20.63 ± 1.39 MPa) and highest EAB (3.36 ± 0.61 %) was observed in CSM-4 film. However, CSM film was relatively dark with low opacity, and adding CEN slightly increased lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) parameters. The superior antioxidant and barrier characteristics of the CSM edible film incorporated with CEN make it a potential candidate for product packaging and shelf-life extension.

Development of cinnamon essential oil-loaded PBAT/thermoplastic starch active packaging films with different release behavior and antimicrobial activity.

The poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/thermoplastic starch (PBAT/TPS) active packaging films containing cinnamon essential oil (CEO) were fabricated by melting blending and extrusion casting method. The effects of TPS content (0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 %, 40 % and 50 %) on the properties of the films and their application in largemouth bass preservation were studied. As TPS content increased from 0 % to 50 %, the water vapor permeability increased from 7.923 × 10-13 (g•cm/(cm2•s•Pa)) to 23.967 × 10-13 (g•cm/(cm2•s•Pa)), the oxygen permeability decreased from 8.642 × 10-11 (cm3•m/(m2•s•Pa)) to 3.644 × 10-11 (cm3•m/(m2•s•Pa)), the retention of CEO in the films increased. The release rate of CEO from the films into food simulant (10 % ethanol) accelerated with increasing TPS. The films exhibited different antibacterial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and S. putrefaciens. It was closely related with the release behavior of the CEO. The films containing CEO could efficiently inhibit the decomposition of protein and the growth of microorganisms in largemouth bass. It showed that the higher TPS in the films, the better inhibitory effect. This study provided a new idea for developing PBAT/TPS active films with different release behavior of active agents and different antibacterial activity for food packaging.

Evaluation of the efficacy of cinnamon oil on Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium proliferatum growth and mycotoxin production on paddy and polished rice: Towards a mitigation strategy.

In the present investigation, the effect of cinnamon oil (CO) (10, 30, 50 and 70 %) on the growth rate (mm/day) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and fumonisin B1 (FB1) production of Aspergillus flavus (AF01) and Fusarium proliferatum (FP01) isolates, respectively was determined at optimum water activities (0.95 and 0.99 aw) and temperatures (25, 30 and 35 °C) on paddy and polished rice grains. The results showed that the growth rate, AFB1 and FB1 production of all the fungal isolates decreased with an increase in CO concentrations on both matrices. AF01 and FP01 failed to grow under all conditions on paddy at 50 % of CO concentration whereas both fungi were completely inhibited (No Growth-NG) at 70 % of CO on polished rice. Regarding mycotoxin production, 30 % of CO concentrations could inhibit AFB1 and FB1 production in both matrices (No Detection-ND). In this study, the production of mycotoxins was significantly influenced by cinnamon oil compared to the growth of both fungi. These results indicated the promising potential of CO in improving the quality of rice preservation in post-harvest; however, further investigations should be evaluated on the effects on the qualitative characteristics of grains. Especially, the prospective application of CO in rice storage in industry scales to mitigate mycotoxin contamination need also to be further researched. Moreover, collaboration between researchers, agricultural experts, and food industry should be set up to achieve effective and sustainable strategies for preserving rice.

Regulation of overexpressed efflux pump encoding genes by cinnamon oil and trimethoprim to abolish carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clinical strains.

Resistance mechanisms are a shelter for Acinetobacter baumannii to adapt to our environment which causes difficulty for the infections to be treated and WHO declares this organism on the top of pathogens priority for new drug development. The most common mechanism that develops drug resistance is the overexpression of the efflux pump, especially Resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND) family, to almost most antibiotics. The study is designed to detect RND efflux pump genes in A. baumannii, and its correlation to multidrug resistance, in particular, the carbapenems resistance Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), and using different inhibitors that restore the antibiotic susceptibility of imipenem. Clinical A. baumannii isolates were recovered from different Egyptian hospitals in Intensive care unit (ICU). The expression of genes in two strains was analyzed using RT-PCR before and after inhibitor treatment. About 100 clinical A. baumannii isolates were recovered and identified and recorded as MDR strains with 75% strains resistant to imipenem. adeB, adeC, adeK, and adeJ were detected in thirty- seven the carbapenems resistance Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) strains. Cinnamomum verum oil, Trimethoprim, and Omeprazole was promising inhibitor against 90% of the carbapenems resistance Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) strains with a 2-6-fold decrease in imipenem MIC. Downregulation of four genes was associated with the addition of those inhibitors to imipenem for two the carbapenems resistance Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) (ACN15 and ACN99) strains, and the effect was confirmed in 24 h killing kinetics. Our investigation points to the carbapenems resistance Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) strain's prevalence in Egyptian hospitals with the idea to revive the imipenem activity using natural and chemical drugs as inhibitors that possessed high synergistic activity.

Effect of TEMPO-oxidized bacterial cellulose nanofibers stabilized Pickering emulsion of cinnamon essential oil on structure and properties of gelatin composite films.

Pure gelatin film often exhibits high hydrophilicity and a lack of antibacterial activity, hindering its practical application in the field of food preservation. To address these issues, we incorporated 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO)-oxidized bacterial cellulose (TOBC) nanofibers stabilized cinnamon essential oil (CEO) Pickering emulsions into the gelatin matrix to develop active food packaging films. The study revealed that the good distribution of emulsion droplets in the film matrix. While with increasing Pickering emulsion proportion, the microstructures of composite films were more heterogeneous, showing some pores or cavities. In addition, the insertion of TOBC-stabilized CEO emulsions could improve the elongation at break (EAB), water-resistance, UV blocking ability, and antibacterial activity of film, but reduced its tensile strength (TS) and water vapor barrier properties (WVP). Notably, the film prepared with 4 % TOBC-stabilized CEO Pickering emulsion demonstrated enhanced preservation of strawberries. Overall, the as-prepared gelatin-based active composite films have considerable potential for food packaging.