boswellia serrata

Boswellia serrata oleo‑gum‑resin (frankincense; olibanum) has anti‑inflammatory, analgesic, and antimicrobial effects. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of frankincense extract in the treatment of oral aphthous ulcers.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo‑controlled clinical trial, patients with aphthous ulcers were randomly assigned to either experimental (Frankincense extract) or placebo groups to use orally disintegrating tablets (ODT) of frankincense and placebo, respectively, four times a day for 3 days. The size of aphthous ulcers and the pain severity by visual analogue scale were recorded at days 0, 2, and 4 and compared between the groups.

Twenty‑five patients in each group completed the study. Olibanum extract ODT significantly reduced the ulcer size on the second (P < 0.001) and fourth (P < 0.001) days as well as the pain score on the second (P = 0.002) and fourth (P < 0.001) days of the intervention compared to placebo. Furthermore, at the end of the intervention, the number of patients with complete ulcer healing and pain relief in the experimental group was significantly more than the placebo group (5 vs. 0, P = 0.02; and 11 vs. 0, P < 0.001, respectively).

Taking olibanum extract ODTs reduces the ulcer size and pain severity and accelerates the healing process in the oral aphthous lesions.

Medicinal plants are used for different purposes in traditional medicine. Boswellia serrata (B. serrata) from Burseracea family has been widely used for human medical purposes. This plant known as frankincense or olibanum has a resin with therapeutic properties. The main constituent of this resin is boswellic acid that plays an important role in various fields. From past to present, many studies had been shown that olibanum and its main constituent, boswellic acid, have antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, anti-arthritic, antimicrobial and anti-carcinogenic effects. In addition, many findings about effects of B. serrata and its ingredients on central nervous system (CNS) are available. Therefore, the aim of this study is to review in vivo and in vitro evidence attributed to this plant and its constituents on CNS. Databases including Web of Sciences, Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar were explored for entries from the beginning of January 2000 until the end of November 2020. Findings reveal that B. serrata and its constituents have neuroprtotective effects and ameliorate learning and memory malfunction. These effects mainly are attributed to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of this plant.

The therapeutic effects of the olibanum, the resin of Boswellia serrata (B. serrata) from Burseracea family in inflammatory disease have been reported. There are more than 200 active ingredients in this resin including Boswellic acid (BA). We are proposed that aqueous extract of Boswellia Serrata can improve memory impairment induced by cerebral inflammation result in administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

In the current study, the neuroprotective effects of aqueous extract of Boswellia Serrata were investigated against LPS -induced spatial memory disorders in rats. In this study, after treatment of rat with LPS, brain toxicity induction was performed and finally, the behavioral tests were evaluated. Following cerebral inflammation induction and treatment, learning and memory performance and biochemistry tests were assessed in all groups.

LPS administration increased the duration and distance to find the platform in the Morris water maze (MWM) test in compare to control group in 5 days (P<0.05 to P<0.001) while, LPS decreased the latency to enter to the dark compartment after receiving the sock in passive avoidance (PA) test (P<0.001). Pretreatment with both doses of aqueous extract of Boswellia Serrata enhanced performances of the rats in MWM (P<0.05 to P<0.01) and PA test (P<0.01 to P<0.001). LPS also increased hippocampus IL-6, MDA levels (P<0.001).

Aqueous extract of Boswellia Serrata can be used as an effective drug in memory impairment caused by LPS-induced inflammation.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more serious decline of dementia. In the present study, the effect of Boswellia serrata (BS) on improvement of memory impairment in patients with MCI was investigated.

In this single-center randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial study, 118 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were included and randomly divided into two groups (case and control). Control group (n=59) received BS 300 mg/kg body weight twice a day and control group (n=59) received placebo for a period of three and six months. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test for detecting cognitive impairment was done at baseline, three and six months after the intervention.

A significant difference was reported in the MoCA mean score between the groups after three months (24.64 vs. 22.83) and six months of the intervention (25.22 vs. 22.7). Memory item had the greatest impact on the average final score (P≤0.0001).

BS has a significant effect on the improvement of memory impairment in patients with MCI. Further studies are required with higher doses of BS and longer duration of treatment to assess the effects of BS on memory of patients with MCI.

Considering the emergence of resistant microbes and side effects of chemical drugs, in this study, the inhibitory effect of organic and hydro-alcoholic extracts of Boswellia serrata (B. serrata) on some oral microbiota was investigated.

In this experimental study, standard strains of Candida albicans (C. albicans; PTCC 5027), Candida glabrata (C. glabrata; PTCC 5295), Candida krusei (C. krusei; PTCC 5297), and Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans; PTCC 1688) were collected from the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST). Then, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of organic and hydro-alcoholic extracts of B. serrata was determined based on the CLSI protocol and using the micro-dilution method. The contents of each well were subcultured in Müller-Hinton agar (Candida species) and blood agar (S. mutans). The lowest concentration with no growth was considered as the minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) or bactericidal concentration (MBC). Statistical analyses were performed using Mann-Whitney test.

Hydro-alcoholic extract of B. serrata at the concentration of 50 mg/ml inhibited the growth of C. albicans and S. mutans. It also inhibited the growth of C. krusei and C. glabrata at the concentration of 100 mg/ml. Organic extract of B. serrata at the concentration of 200 mg/ml only inhibited the growth of C. glabrata.

Hydro-alcoholic extract of B. serrata had a greater inhibitory effect on C. albicans and S. mutans compared to the organic extract.

Considering the increased rate of microbial resistance to antibiotics and chemical side effects of antibiotics and antiseptics used for the treatment of periodontal disease, there is a need for an alternative antimicrobial agent with fewer complications. Medicinal herbs have recently become popular as novel antimicrobial agents. This study aimed to assess the antibacterial effects of hydroalcoholic extracts of Lawsonia inermis, Malva sylvestris, and Boswellia serrata on Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans.

Hydroalcoholic extracts of the three medicinal plants were obtained by the maceration technique and A. actinomycetemcomitans was cultured. Antimicrobial efficacy of the three medicinal plants was compared with that of 0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX) according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute protocol using agar disc diffusion and broth microdilution techniques. All tests were repeated three times.

Hydroalcoholic extracts of all three plants had antimicrobial activity against A. actinomycetemcomitans. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of L. inermis, M. sylvestris, and B. serrata was 78.1, 156.2, and 1666 μg/mL with no significant difference between them. The MIC of CHX was 3.33 μg/mL, which was significantly higher than that of B. serrata extract.

Given that further in vivo studies confirm other properties of these extracts and their safety in terms of cytotoxicity and mutagenicity, hydroalcoholic extracts of L. inermis and M. sylvestris may be used in mouthwashes or local delivery systems to affect periodontal biofilm.