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The Role of Plant-Based Natural Compounds in Inflammation
Published in Namrita Lall, Medicinal Plants for Cosmetics, Health and Diseases, 2022
Marcela Dvorakova, Premysl Landa, Lenka Langhansova
On the other hand, β-BAs were reported to reach micromolar plasma levels, suggesting their higher importance in inflammation than that of AKBA and KBA, despite their moderate inhibitory activity in assays (Buchele and Simmet, 2003; Tausch et al., 2009). Moreover, all BAs were found to inhibit mPGES-1 with IC50 values between 3 µM and 10 µM in the cell-free assay, while they did not inhibit COXs (Nhu Ngoc Quynh et al., 2019; Siemoneit et al., 2011). In the cell-based assay, their mPGES-1 inhibitory activity was rather low with IC50 values ranging from 20–30 µM. In addition, in the whole blood assay, β-BA was found to inhibit mPGES-1 with an IC50 of 10 µM contrarily to AKBA and KBA, which were inactive (Siemoneit et al., 2011). Considering that β-BA is the major component of frankincense and that its plasma levels may reach up to 10 µM, it may be suggested that the pronounced anti-inflammatory activity of frankincense in vivo may be caused by the inhibition of mPGES-1 rather than 5-LOX, especially as frankincense exerted therapeutic efficiency in models of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, where a role of leukotrienes was excluded (Buchele and Simmet, 2003; Tausch et al., 2009).
Monographs of essential oils that have caused contact allergy / allergic contact dermatitis
Published in Anton C. de Groot, Monographs in Contact Allergy, 2021
Olibanum (either from Boswellia sacra Flueck. or other species of the genus Boswellia) has a long history of medicinal, religious (e.g. as incense in the Catholic Church and other religious ceremonies), social and other uses 4. The essential oil of olibanum is obtained by steam-distillation of the olibanum oleoresin and is one of the most commonly used oils in aromatherapy practice (1,6). In perfumery, frankincense oil is used as a fixative and for its fresh balsamic, dry, resinous, somewhat green note fragrance 4. It is also added as a fixative and fragrance to soaps, creams, lotions and detergents 6.
Biblical times
Published in Michael J. O’Dowd, The History of Medications for Women, 2020
Frankincense was a favorite remedy in obstetrics and gynecology. Burned in a pot, the fumes were conveyed to the ‘privy parts’ via a funnel to treat all manner of female complaints. In the second century AD, Soranus of Ephesus advocated its application for uterine hemorrhage and vaginal discharge (Temkin, 1956 p. 244). In his obstetric text The Byrth of Mankynde, Thomas Raynold (1545 pp. 71–81) wrote that frankincense was prescribed as a fumigation when the placenta was retained; it was applied to the newborns navel; and was prescribed for excess lochia or menstruation. In his seventeenth-century obstetric book, Speculum Matricis, James Wolveridge (1671) wrote of medication with frankincense for premature labor, when the mother’s ‘throws’ (contractions) came at an ‘unseasonable’ time: ‘Let her sit over a suffumigation of frankincense; for that contributes no small strength both to the matrix, and to the infant also’. Wolveridge, author of the first book devoted to obstetrics in Ireland, prescribed frankincense in warmed date fruit to prevent abortion, and as a local fumigation to inhibit lactation, and to treat breast inflammation (pp. 113; 132; 139). Olibanum (frankincense) has been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity (Evans, 1996 p. 289).
Frankincense diterpenes as a bio-source for drug discovery
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, 2022
Hidayat Hussain, Luay Rashan, Uzma Hassan, Muzaffar Abbas, Faruck L. Hakkim, Ivan R. Green
Frankincense is essentially a resin derived from the tree of the genus Boswellia and mainly from five species, i.e. B. carterii, B. serrata, B. papyrifera, B. sacra, and B. frerana. The Boswellia genus, incorporating over 30 species out of which 16 grow in tropical Africa and Asia [2]. Chemical investigation of frankincense resin has revealed that it comprises over 200 different natural products, including penta- and tetracyclic triterpenoids, diterpenoids, polyphenols, essential oils, and tannins [2,9–15]. Terpenes are considered to be one of the most structurally diverse groups among the spectrum of natural products. Furthermore, over 55,000 terpenes have been reported as isolated from various natural sources featured intriguing chemical diversity along with interesting biological properties. Among the terpenes, diterpenes are one of the largest groups of secondary metabolites with over 18,000 molecules derived from GGPP (E,E,E-geranylgeranyl diphosphate). Moreover, these compounds can be classified according to their biogenesis and over 126 different carbon skeletons have been reported to date [16]. Quite recently, Al-Harrasi et al. [17] published a review about the cembrane diterpenoids from the Boswellia species but their focus was more on the chemistry rather on their biology. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of detailed biological investigations of frankincense diterpenoids (cembrane and prenylaromadendrane-type diterpenes).
Boswellic acids: privileged structures to develop lead compounds for anticancer drug discovery
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, 2021
Hidayat Hussain, Iftikhar Ali, Daijie Wang, Faruck L. Hakkim, Bernhard Westermann, Luay Rashan, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Ivan R. Green
Literature revealed that Baer [35] initiated the chemical investigations of frankincense in 1788. A century later Tschirch and Halbey published some further studies on BAs in 1898 and 1900 [36–39]. Normally these researchers divided the whole frankincense extract into neutral and acidic fractions and after various purification steps they isolated a raw product which they described as ‘Boswellic Acid.’ Although the exact chemical structure was not known at that time, they proposed the chemical formula to be C32H52O4. After a further three decades, Winterstein and Stein [40] showed that Tschirch and Halbey’s raw product comprised of mixture of four BAs viz., α-BA, ß-BA, A-α-BA, and A-ß-BA. Additionally, they purified these four BAs but were unable to elucidate their chemical structures. However, they did propose the correct chemical formula to be C32H50O4.
Safety assessment of a novel water-soluble extract of Boswellia serrata gum resin: acute toxicity, 90-day sub-chronic toxicity, Ames’ bacterial reverse mutation, and in vivo micronucleus assays
Published in Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, 2022
Sundararaju Dodda, Ravi Kumar Madireddy, Venkata Krishnaraju Alluri, Trimurtulu Golakoti, Krishanu Sengupta
The gum resin or Indian frankincense has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to treat several inflammatory ailments. A variety of preparations of B. serrata gum resin extracts are known to be anti-inflammatory (Etzel 1996; Roy et al. 2005; Ammon 2006), and these preparations have been demonstrated to alleviate the clinical symptoms of a variety of inflammatory ailments, including knee pain and osteoarthritis (Sengupta et al. 2008, 2010; Vishal et al. 2011). It is currently considered a botanical food supplement in Europe and the USA (CFR 2007). In the last two decades, the use of the resin has gained more popularity for the treatment of various chronic inflammatory illnesses, including arthritis, chronic bowel diseases, asthma (Hamidpour et al. 2013). Different preparations of B. serrata gum resin standardized to boswellic acids are commercially available in several countries. The preclinical toxicology study data and lack of major adverse events in the clinical studies suggest that these preparations are well tolerated and considered safe for oral consumption (Singh et al. 2012; Alluri et al. 2019; Yu et al. 2020). Although there is a mounting number of evidence on the safety of the commercially available frankincense extract preparations, it is vital to evaluate a new botanical composition for its health effects following the guidelines issued by the international regulatory authorities (Aydιn et al. 2016). The purpose of the present study was to determine a broad spectrum safety profile of this botanical ingredient in acute, 90-day repeated dose oral and genotoxicity studies as per OECD guidelines.