BosFlex Forte - Boswellia serrata gum 10% AKBA / 80% boswellic acids powder extract

BosFlex Key Facts

• BoxFlex is a premium quality standardised extract of Boswellia Serrata gum
• BosFlex has been tested using validated testing methods and it is free from contamination

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Background

BosFlex is presents a range of standardised extracts of Boswellia serrata obtained from the oleoresin gum of the plant, commonly known as Indian Frankincense or olibanum. The Boswellia serrata tree grows in dry mountainous regions of India, Northern Africa and the Middle East. It has a long history of use in religious ceremonies, for perfume production and for its medicinal properties. The gum resin has been used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine as a remedy for diarrhoea, skin and blood diseases, cardiovascular diseases, mouth sores, bronchitis, asthma, vaginal discharges, hair-loss, jaundice, haemorrhoids, syphilitic diseases and irregular menses. Today Boswellia Serrata gum extracts is used as an antiarthritic, anti-inflammatory, antihyperlipidemic, anti-atherosclerotic, analgesic and a hepatoprotective (Alluri et al., 2019).

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At present, we have the following variants of BosFlex

BosFlex Forte – Boswellia serrata gum 10% AKBA/ 80% boswellic acids powder extract

BosFlex B10A – HBD – Boswellia Serrata gum [70% boswellic acids / 10% β-boswellic acids (HPLC)] powder extract

BosFlex B10 – HBD – Boswellic Serrata gum [65% boswellic acids/ 10% β-boswellic acids [HPLC] powder extract

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Chemistry

Boswellia serrata gum contains monoterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, tetracyclic triterpenic acids, and importantly, pentacyclic triterpenic acids known as boswellic acids (Siddiqui, 2011). It is these boswellic acids have been identified as being mainly responsible for the pharmacological effects.

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There are six major Boswellic acids

α-boswellic acid

CAS – 471-66-9
Moleular Formula – C30H48O3
Molecular Weight – 456.7 g/mol
IUPAC – (3R,4R,4aR,6aR,6bS,8aR,12aR,14aR,14bR)-3-hydroxy-4,6a,6b,8a,11,11,14b-heptamethyl-1,2,3,4a,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,12a,14,14a-tetradecahydropicene-4-carboxylic acid

β-boswellic acid

CAS – 631-69-6
Moleular Formula – C30H48O3
Molecular Weight – 456.7 g/mol
IUPAC – (3R,4R,4aR,6aR,6bS,8aR,11R,12S,12aR,14aR,14bR)-3-hydroxy-4,6a,6b,8a,11,12,14b-heptamethyl-2,3,4a,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,12a,14,14a-tetradecahydro-1H-picene-4-carboxylic acid

3-O-acetyl-α-boswellic acid

CAS – 89913-60-0
Moleular Formula – C32H50O4
Molecular Weight – 498.7 g/mol
IUPAC – (3R,4R,6aR,6bS,8aR,12aS,14aR,14bR)-3-acetyloxy-4,6a,6b,8a,11,11,14b-heptamethyl-1,2,3,4a,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,12a,14,14a-tetradecahydropicene-4-carboxylic acid

3-O-acetyl-β-boswellic acid

CAS – 5968-70-7
Moleular Formula – C32H50O4
Molecular Weight – 498.7 g/mol
IUPAC – (3R,4R,4aR,6aR,6bS,8aR,11R,12S,12aR,14aR,14bR)-3-acetyloxy-4,6a,6b,8a,11,12,14b-heptamethyl-2,3,4a,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,12a,14,14a-tetradecahydro-1H-picene-4-carboxylic acid

11-keto-β-boswellic acid (KBA)

CAS – 17019-92-0 Moleular Formula – C30H46O4 Molecular Weight – 470.7 g/mol IUPAC – (3R,4R,6aR,6bS,8aR,11R,12S,14bS)-3-hydroxy-4,6a,6b,8a,11,12,14b-heptamethyl-14-oxo-1,2,3,4a,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,12a,14a-tetradecahydropicene-4-carboxylic acid

3-O-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA)

CAS – 67416-61-9 Moleular Formula – C32H48O5 Molecular Weight – 512.7 g/mol IUPAC – (3R,4R,4aR,6aR,6bS,8aR,11R,12S,12aR,14aR,14bS)-3-acetyloxy-4,6a,6b,8a,11,12,14b-heptamethyl-14-oxo-1,2,3,4a,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,12a,14a-tetradecahydropicene-4-carboxylic acid Of all the boswellic acids, it is KBA and AKBA that are the most potent, with AKBA proving to be the most biologically active (Kruger et al., 2008).

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Boswellia Serrata and Health

Anti-Inflammatory

There is research to suggest that Boswellia extracts can elicit an anti-inflammatory response through various pathways and therefore play a role in the treatment of many different diseases and conditions associated with chronic inflammation. One such pathway is through the inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO). Leukotrienes are inflammatory mediators that are formed from arachidonic acid by the enzyme called 5-LO. These Leukotrienes mediate inflammation in numerous conditions such as arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease (Henderson, 1994). Boswellic acids have been shown to inhibit the synthesis of this pro-inflammatory enzyme 5-LO (Ammon, 2006), with AKBA in particular being identified as the most potent inhibitor of 5-LO (Siddiqui, 2011), therefore resulting in a decrease in inflammation. Boswellic acids have also been identified as influencing another enzyme, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) which is involved in the hydrolysis of acetylcholine into choline and acetate. Boswellic acids have shown to inhibit AChE and therefore reducing the release of cytokines and ultimately causing a reduction in inflammation (Ota & Houghton, 2008).

Arthritis

Boswellia serrata gum has been shown to exert anti-arthritic activity (Singh & Atal, 1986). It has also shown that the ingestion of Boswellic acids could lead to faster healing of joints as they decrease the levels of 5-LO pro-inflammatory products such as 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) and leukotriene B4 (LTB-4), which ultimately decreases inflammation (Ammon et al., 1991). Many people utilise non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to suppress the inflammation associated with arthritis. Unfortunately, these NSAIDs can disrupt glycosaminoglycan synthesis, accelerating the articular damage in arthritic conditions (Kimmatkar at al., 2003). Some research has found Boswellia serrata extracts to decrease this glycosaminoglycan degradation, maintaining cartilage in good condition (Reddy et al., 1989). Human leukocyte elastase is an enzyme involved in inflammation, and is implicated in rheumatoid arthritis (Shah et al., 2009). Boswellia serrata has been shown to inhibit human leukocyte elastase (Safayhi et al., 1997), and therefore may be helpful in the treatment of this autoimmune condition. Boswellic acids have been found to decrease pain experienced by individuals with osteoarthritis along with decrease in swelling and subsequent improvement in the functioning of arthritic joints (Kimmatkar et al., 2003).

Cancer

Boswellia has shown to exhibit anti-cancer activity There are numerous mechanisms responsible for this including the inhibition of cell cycle arrest and inhibition of proliferation, the inhibition of angiogenesis, or the inhibition of invasion and metastasis, which all play a role in the development of cancer (Efferth & Oesch, 2020). Boswellic acids have been shown to suppress aggressive tumour phenotypes in human breast cancer cells (Parr & Ali, 2018). Overall, the effect of Boswellia on cancer appear to be more anti-proliferative rather than apoptotic, due to the inhibition of angiogenesis and cell invasiveness.

Antimicrobial activity

Extracts from Boswellia have been shown to possess various antimicrobial activities against bacteria and fungi such as Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Streptococcae, Corynebacteria, Clostridium perfringens and Propionibacterium acnes associated with skin diseases (Al-Yasiry & Kiczorowska, 2016).

Antioxidant

A vast amount of research has identified oxygen radicals as being harmful to human health and playing a major role in many conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer (Lobo et al., 2010). Boswellia extracts have shown to inhibit the formation of free radicals (Ammon, 2006).

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Trademark

BosFlex is a trademark of Vita Actives, EU trademark number 013882311.

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References

1. Alluri, V., Dodda, S., Kilari, E., Golakoti, T. and Sengupta, K., 2019. Toxicological Assessment of a Standardized Boswellia serrata Gum Resin Extract. International Journal of Toxicology, 38(5), pp.423-435.
2. Al-Yasiry, A. and Kiczorowska, B., 2016. Frankincense – therapeutic properties. Postępy Higieny i Medycyny Doświadczalnej, 70, pp.380-391.
3. Ammon, H., 2006. Boswellic Acids in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases. Planta Medica, 72(12), pp.1100-1116.
4. Ammon, H., Mack, T., Singh, G. and Safayhi, H., 1991. Inhibition of Leukotriene B4Formation in Rat Peritoneal Neutrophils by an Ethanolic Extract of the Gum Resin Exudate ofBoswellia serrata. Planta Medica, 57(03), pp.203-207.
5. Efferth, T. and Oesch, F., 2020. Anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities of frankincense: Targets, treatments and toxicities. Seminars in Cancer Biology.
6. Henderson, W., 1994. The Role of Leukotrienes in Inflammation. Ann Intern Med, 121, pp.684-697.
7. Kimmatkar, N., Thawani, V., Hingorani, L. and Khiyani, R., 2003. Efficacy and tolerability of Boswellia serrata extract in treatment of osteoarthritis of knee – A randomized double blind placebo controlled trial. Phytomedicine, 10(1), pp.3-7.
8. Krüger, P., Daneshfar, R., Eckert, G., Klein, J., Volmer, D., Bahr, U., Müller, W., Karas, M., Schubert-Zsilavecz, M. and Abdel-Tawab, M., 2008. Metabolism of Boswellic Acids in Vitro and in Vivo. Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 36(6), pp.1135-1142.
9. Lobo, V., Patil, A., Phatak, A. and Chandra, N., 2010. Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 4(8), p.118.
10. Ota, M. and Houghton, P., 2008. Boswellic Acids with Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Properties from Frankincense. Natural Product Communications, 3(1), pp.1934578X0800300.
11. Parr, C. and Ali, A., 2018. Boswellia frereana suppresses HGF-mediated breast cancer cell invasion and migration through inhibition of c-Met signalling. Journal of Translational Medicine, 16(1).
12. Reddy, G., Chandrakasan, G. and Dhar, S., 1989. Studies on the metabolism of glycosaminoglycans under the influence of new herbal anti-inflammatory agents. Biochemical Pharmacology, 38(20), pp.3527-3534.
13. Safayhi, H., Rall, B., Sailer, E. and Ammon, H., 1997. Inhibition by Boswellic Acids of Human Leukocyte Elastase. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 281(1), pp.460-463.
14. Shah, B., Qazi, G. and Taneja, S., 2009. Boswellic acids: a group of medicinally important compounds. Nat. Prod. Rep., 26(1), pp.72-89.
15. Siddiqui, M., 2011. Boswellia Serrata, A Potential Anti-inflammatory Agent: An Overview. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 73(3), pp.855-261.
16. Singh, G. and Atal, C., 1986. Pharmacology of an extract of salai guggal ex-Boswellia serrata, a new non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. Agents and Actions, 18(3-4), pp.407-412.