Anti-depressant effect of Cinnamomum verum in mice, a systematic review

Background: Depression is a mental disorder that reduces one's life quality. According to the World Health Organization, it affects approximately ۳۲۲ million adults all around the world. Cinnamon is the brown bark of the Cinnamomum verum tree. Our study aims to provide an overview of antidepressant effect ofcinnamon.Material and method: The keywords of anti-depressant, Cinnamomum verum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Trans-Cinnamaldehyde, tail suspension test (TST) and forced swimming test (FTS) were used to search in google scholars, PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect.Results: Cinnamon essential oil has anti-depressant effects in mice. It decreased immobility time in FST and TST in mice, which was comparable with fluoxetine and imipramine. Cinnamaldehyde, extracted from different Cinnamomum species exhibits anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway. Moreover, by increasing serotonin, dopamine, and reducing TNF-α, cinnamaldehyde can improve depression.Conclusion: Cinnamaldehyde could be useful in the treatment of depression through various mechanisms based on the findings of this study.