Effects of Aqueous Cinnamon Extract on 3T3-L1 Cell Morphology and Adherence

Indianapolis, IN

Extracts of cinnamon have long been used medicinally and recent research has solidified its use for controlling blood glucose levels. Upon examining 3T3-L1 in culture following cinnamon treatment, we observed a change in cell shape, morphology, size and adherence. Pre-adipocytes grown in monolayer were able to begin differentiation without addition of the differentiation media. We further observed that cell adherence seemed to be altered based on the behavior of the cells during media and treatment changes. This study explores the differences observed upon cinnamon treatment in morphology as well as assaying the adherence of the cell by evaluating fibronectin and collagen. Furthermore, we began evaluating the degree of differentiation using oil red O staining and adipogenesis assay kits.