Gastrointestinal motility disorders can occur as either increased or decreased movements. Studies have shown that herbal ingredients such as
essential oils can modify the increase and decrease of gastrointestinal movements of ruminants.
Cinnamaldehyde at room temperature is an oily yellow liquid which is obtained from the
steam distillation of the oil of cinnamon bark. It bears carminative activity and gastrointestinal, antimicrobial, and vasodilatory effects. This study examined the effects of
cinnamaldehyde on the contraction of circular smooth muscles of abomasal fundus and the antrum, duodenum, and ileum of healthy cows using an in vitro approach. The results indicated that
cinnamaldehyde had relaxant effects on the basal tonus and contractions caused by
barium chloride (
BaCl2) and
carbachol (CCh) in these tissues dependent upon concentration and the origin of the smooth muscle. These effects were more prominent in the ileal smooth muscle preparations than in other tissues. This substance in the smooth muscle preparations of the abomasal fundus not only had no significant effect on the basal tonus, but also significantly increased the contractions caused by
barium chloride at low concentrations. Study of the mechanism of action showed that, similar to
verapamil,
cinnamaldehyde applied its relaxation effect by blocking the
calcium channels. The results showed that
cinnamaldehyde possessed a
spasmolytic effect mediated through blockage of the
calcium channels, which may provide a pharmacological base to its medicinal use for
diarrhea and
spasms.