Anti-allergic effect of a chloroform-soluble extract of Cinnamomum cambodianum in bone marrow-derived mast cells.

Cinnamomum cambodianum has been used as a traditional medicine in Cambodia. Its effect on the bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) mediated allergic response remains unknown. In this study, a chloroform-soluble extract of C. cambodianum was evaluated for its effect on allergic mediators, including prostaglandin D₂ (PGD₂), leukotriene C₄ (LTC₄), β-hexosaminidase and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein, in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) plus calcimycin-stimulated BMMCs. The results revealed that the chloroform-soluble extract inhibited the production of interleukin-6, PGD₂ and LTC₄, and the expression of COX-2 in PMA plus calcimycin-stimulated BMMCs, implying a potential benefit of C. cambodianum in the treatment of allergy.