Boswellic acid
Boswellic acids are a series of pentacyclic triterpene molecules which are produced by plants in the genus Boswellia. Like many other terpenes, boswellic acids appear in the resin of the plant which exudes them; it is estimated that they make up 30% of the resin of B. serrata.[1]
Structure
The boswellic acids are organic acids, consisting of a pentacyclic triterpene, a carboxyl group and at least one other functional group. Alpha-boswellic acid and beta-boswellic acid, C30H48O3</sub,> both have an additional hydroxyl group; they differ only in their triterpene structure. Acetyl-alpha-boswellic acid and acetyl-beta-boswellic acid, C32H50O4, replace the hydroxyl group with an acetyl group.
Other boswellic acids include the keto-boswellic acids and their acetyl counterparts.
Uses
Beta-boswellic acid, keto-beta-boswellic acid and acetyl-keto-beta-boswellic acid have been implicated in apoptosis of cancer cells, particularly brain tumors and cells affected by leukemia or colon cancer.[2]
Acetyl-boswellic acids also exhibit anti-inflammatory behaviour by inhibiting leukotriene synthesis.[3] Specifically, it inhibits the activity of the enzyme 5-lipoxygenase through a non-redox reaction. Clinical trials[4][5] have investigated the effectiveness of boswellic acids in treating ulcerative colitis, but a study on chemically induced colitis in mouse models[6] showed little effectiveness. This latter study also linked large doses of boswellic acids to hepatotoxicity and increased lipid accumulation. Paradoxically, low doses of Boswellia serrata extract may have hepatoprotective effects.[7]
Boswellic acids are also thought to decrease the symptoms of asthma; a small 1998 placebo-controlled trial of Boswellia extract for the treatment of asthma showed good results.[8] Boswellia extracts are sold in tablet, capsule and tincture form, but no dosage guidelines have been developed. The risk of hepatotoxicity due to Boswellia administration has not been assessed.
References
- ↑ "SaluGenecists, Inc. Boswellia information".
- ↑ Liu, Jian-Jun (December 2002). "Boswellic acids trigger apoptosis via a pathway dependent on caspase-8 activation but independent on Fas/Fas ligand interaction in colon cancer HT-29 cells". Carcinogenesis. Oxford University Press. 23 (12): 2087–2093. Unknown parameter
|coauthors=ignored (help) - ↑ Ammon, HP (1993). "Mechanism of antiinflammatory actions of curcumine and boswellic acids". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. International Society of Ethnopharmacology. 38 (2–3): 113–9. Unknown parameter
|coauthors=ignored (help) - ↑ Ammon, HP (2002). "Boswellic acids (components of frankincense) as the active principle in treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases". Wien Medizinsche Wochenschrift. Springer-Verlag Wien. 152 (15–16): 373–8.
- ↑ Anthoni, C. (June 2006). "Mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory actions of boswellic acid derivatives in experimental colitis". American Journal of Physiology: Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. American Physiological Society. 290 (6): G1131–7. Unknown parameter
|coauthors=ignored (help) - ↑ Kiela, P.R. (April 2005). "Effects of Boswellia serrata in mouse models of chemically induced colitis". American Journal of Physiology: Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. American Physiological Society. 288 (4): G798–808. Unknown parameter
|coauthors=ignored (help) - ↑ Y J, Kamath J, Asad M (2006). "Effect of hexane extract of Boswellia serrata oleo-gum resin on chemically induced liver damage". Pak J Pharm Sci. 19 (2): 129–33. PMID 16751123.
- ↑ Gupta I, Gupta V, Parihar A, Gupta S, Lüdtke R, Safayhi H, Ammon H (1998). "Effects of Boswellia serrata gum resin in patients with bronchial asthma: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week clinical study". Eur J Med Res. 3 (11): 511–4. PMID 9810030.