The Antiadenovirus Activities of Cinnamaldehyde In Vitro

Cinnamomum cassia is a common prescription compound in traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, the inhibitory effect of cinnamaldehyde from Cinnamomi cortex on adenovirus (ADV) type 3 (ADV3) was investigated in vitro; virus inhibition ratio was detected by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method; ultrastructure changes in the ADV3 surface were observed by atomic-force microscope (AFM); apoptosis degree of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 protein expression in cells infected with ADV3 were determined by using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Our results showed that the cinnamaldehyde (0.0195–0.315 mg/mL) inhibited the growth of ADV3 in a concentration-dependent manner with the virus inhibition rate of 3–58.6%, and the apoptosis degree of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 protein expression was lower in the cinnamaldehyde-treated group than in the virus control group. The results conclude that anti-ADV3 capabilities of cinnamaldehyde may associate with decreasing the apoptosis level and inhibiting the caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 protein expression.