Wound Healing Effects of Frankincense and Myrrha on Adult Human Dermal Fibroblasts (HDFa)

Oleogum resins extracted from Boswellia sacra (Frankincense) and Commiphora myrrha (Myrrha) have been traditionally used to facilitate wound healing and address skin injuries. Moreover, they have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects. Therefore, we hypothesized that their combination can be effective in wound healing. In this study, we evaluated the effects of methanol extracts from two oleogum resins, Boswellia sacra (Frankincense) and Commiphora myrrha (Myrrha), as well as their combination on cell migration promotion and wound healing in human dermal fibroblast cells (HDFa).

The methanol extracts of B. sacra (BS) and C. myrrha (CM) and their combination were tested to determine their optimum cytoprotective concentrations using the AlamarBlue assay. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was also evaluated using a DCFDA detector. To assess cell migration promotion and wound healing properties of the extracts, a scratch wound closure assay was performed in HDFa cells and the images were analyzed using ImageJ software. Western blot analysis was employed to detect the activation of fibroblast migration associated protein extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK).

Using the viability assay, the optimum non-cytotoxic concentrations of the extracts (10 and 20 µg/ml) were chosen to evaluate their wound healing effects on HDFa cells. BS, CM and BC at 10 and 20 µg/ml significantly reduced H2 O2 -induced ROS levels compared to the control. In the scratch assay, BS and BC, both at 10 µg/ml, could significantly reduce the average wound width compared to the control. Western blot analysis showed that CM significantly increased the pERK/ERK ratio compared to the control.

These findings suggest the beneficial effects of both frankincense and myrrh, as well as their combination, in improving proliferation, migration, and thecwound healing process in HDFa.