Cinnamon is one of the oldest herbal medicine that has been historically known to possess has anticancer property. In this study, the cytotoxicity of the cinnamon extracts towards human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) was investigated. Cinnamomum zeylanicum was extracted using Soxhlet and water extraction methods, producing 7.06% and 2.54% of yield respectively. The extracts were analysed using Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) and it was found that cinnamaldehyde is the major constituents which contribute more than 70% of the major constituents. The cytotoxicity of C. zeylanicum extract against MCF-7 was determined through colorimetric MTT assay at 24 and 48 hours of incubation periods. The IC50 values of Soxhlet extract were 58 µg/ml and 140 µg/ml while the IC50 values of water extract were 9 mg/ml and 4.8 mg/ml, at 24 and 48 hours treatment respectively. In conclusion, C. zeylanicum extracts has been confirmed to have cytotoxic effect towards MCF-7 cell line in different concentrations at two different incubation periods.

Introduction: Cinnamon is one of the oldest herbal medicines that has been traditionally used as flavouring agent, insecticidal, antifungal and also as tooth powder to treat dental problems. Nowadays cinnamon is used in pharmaceutical preparations, perfume production, chemical industry and food industry as seasonings. In this study, the cytotoxicity of the cinnamon extracts towards human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) was investigated. Methods: Cinnamomum zeylanicum was extracted using Soxhlet extraction method with methanol as the solvent, producing 7.06% of yield extract. The extract was analysed using gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (GCMS). Results: The result showed that cinnamaldehyde was the major constituent, forming 74.14% of the total constituents. The cytotoxicity of C. zeylanicum extract against MCF-7 was determined through colorimetric MTT assay. It was demonstarted that the IC50 of extracts at 24 hours and 48 hours of incubation period was 48 µg/ml and 140 µg/ml respectively. Conclusions: The cinnamon methanolic extract possess cytotoxic effects on human breast cancer cell lines.

Introduction: The ω-glaidin/c-hordein (QPFPQPEQPFPW) and rye-secalin (QPFPQPQQPIPQ) peptides have previously demonstrated immunogenicity in sensitised coeliac T cell lines. The development of monoclonal antibody to those immunogenic peptides is presented with a view of developing an improved enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as a reliable tool to screen the safety of foods specialised for coeliac disease (CD) patients. Methods: Balb/C mice were fed with gluten free food. The immunogens were conjugated to purified tuberculin protein derivative (PPD) with glutaraldehyde and emulsified in Freund’s adjuvant. The employed immunization schedule included 3-5 weeks intervals, followed by a final intravenous injection without adjuvant, 3-4 days prior to fusion. Results: The antibody produced was IgM rather than IgG, although the hybridoma was successfully generated. The IgM class antibody is known to be relatively unstable, so could not be used in kits designed for food screening. Conclusions: The immunogenic peptides could possibly be used to raise monoclonal antibodies for gluten screening. However, a single booster injection might be insufficient to stimulate the spleen directly or the mice should be immunized with higher concentration of immunogen. This could be improved by including multiple booster administrations and increasing the dose.