Molecular Determinants of the Response of Tumor Cells to Boswellic Acids

Pharmaceuticals

Tolga Eichhorn¹  Henry Johannes Greten² 

[1] Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Staudinger Weg 5, 55128 Mainz, Germany;Heidelberg School of Chinese Medicine, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany

关键词: apoptosis;    Boswellia;    ceramide;    frankincense;    natural products;    olibanum;    pharmacogenomics;    sphingomyelin;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ph4081171

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Frankincense (Boswellia serrata, B. carterii) is used as traditional remedy to treat inflammatory diseases. The molecular effects of the active ingredients, the boswellic acids, on the immune system have previously been studied and verified in several clinical studies. Boswellic acids also inhibit cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. The molecular basis of the cytotoxicity of boswellic acids is, however, not fully understood as yet. By mRNA-based microarray, COMPARE, and hierarchical cluster analyses, we identified a panel of genes from diverse functional groups, which were significantly associated with sensitivity or resistance of α- or β-boswellic acids, such as transcription factors, signal transducers, growth regulating genes, genes involved in RNA and protein metabolism and others. This indicates that boswellic acids exert profound cytotoxicity on cancer cells by a multiplicity of molecular mechanisms.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.