Boswellic Acids as Natural Anticancer Medicine: Precious Gift to Humankind

Publication date: Available online 15 October 2019Source: Journal of Herbal MedicineAuthor(s): Tarun Sharma, Snehasis JanaAbstractBoswellic acids (BAs) are the important active constituents of the plant Boswellia serrata which has been widely used for the treatment of several acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. These acids have shown their very potent anti-inflammatory activities in both in vitro and in vivo animal models. Also, their anti-arthritic, anti-rheumatic, anti-diarrhoeal, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-asthmatic, anticancer, anti-microbial, analgesic activity, hepatoprotective, and immunomodulatory activities have been reported. BAs are specific, and non-redox inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), an enzyme involved in arachidonic acid metabolism. Preclinical data has also shown that these compounds have anti-cancer potential against various types of malignant tumours both in cell culture and in vivo models. However, the exact understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying their anti-cancer effects remain unclear. This review summarizes the anticancer activities of BAs on the cellular and molecular level and attempts to assess the data from the perspective of poor pharmacokinetics properties and limited oral bioavailability which limits the beneficial effects of BAs in preclinical studies and human subjects suffering from cancer.Graphical Abstract
Source: Journal of Herbal Medicine - Category: Complementary Medicine Source Type: research