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Cellular and molecular mechanisms of anti-inflammatory effect of Aflapin: a novel Boswellia serrata extract

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Abstract

There is significant number of evidences suggesting the anti-inflammatory properties of gum resin extracts of Boswellia serrata containing 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA) and their promising potential as therapeutic interventions against inflammatory diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). Unfortunately, the poor bioavailability of AKBA following oral administration might limit the anti-inflammatory efficacy of standardized Boswellia extract(s). To address this issue, we describe a novel composition called Aflapin, which contains B. serrata extract enriched in AKBA and non-volatile oil portion of B. serrata gum resin. Our observations show that the availability of AKBA in systemic circulation of experimental animals is increased by 51.78% in Aflapin-supplemented animals, in comparison with that of 30% AKBA standardized extract or BE-30 (5-Loxin®). Consistently, Aflapin confers better anti-inflammatory efficacy in Freund’s Complete Adjuvant (FCA)-induced inflammation model of Sprague–Dawley rats. Interestingly, in comparison with BE-30, Aflapin® also provides significantly better protection from IL-1β-induced death of human primary chondrocytes and improves glycosaminoglycans production in human chondrocytes. In Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)-induced human synovial cells, the inhibitory potential of Aflapin (IC50 44.736 ng/ml) on matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) production is 14.83% better than that of BE-30 (IC50 52.528 ng/ml). In summary, our observations collectively suggest that both the Boswellia products, BE-30 (5-Loxin®) and Aflapin, exhibit powerful anti-inflammatory efficacy and anti-arthritic potential. In particular, in comparison with BE-30, Aflapin provides more potential benefits in recovering articular cartilage damage or protection from proteolytic degradation due to inflammatory insult in arthritis such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.

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Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank Sri G Ganga Raju, Chairman; Mr. G Rama Raju, Director; and Mr. B. Kiran, CEO of Laila Group of Industries, India for their generous support and encouragements. We also thank Mr. K Gopal Rao for his help in analyzing serum samples for the bio-availability study. This study was supported by Laila Nutraceuticals, Vijayawada, India.

Competing interests

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cellular and Molecular Biology Division, Laila Impex R&D Center, Jawahar Autonagar, Vijayawada, 520 007, India

    Krishanu Sengupta & Jayaprakash N. Kolla

  2. Pharmacology Division, Laila Impex R&D Center, Jawahar Autonagar, Vijayawada, 520 007, India

    Alluri V. Krishnaraju & Nandini Yalamanchili

  3. Drug Discovery and Development Division, Laila Impex R&D Center, Jawahar Autonagar, Vijayawada, 520 007, India

    Chirravuri V. Rao & Trimurtulu Golakoti

  4. Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, School of Medicine, UC Davis and VA Medical Center Sacramento, 10535 Hospital Way, Mather, CA, 95655, USA

    Smriti Raychaudhuri & Siba P. Raychaudhuri

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  1. Krishanu Sengupta
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  2. Jayaprakash N. Kolla
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  3. Alluri V. Krishnaraju
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Correspondence to Siba P. Raychaudhuri.

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Sengupta, K., Kolla, J.N., Krishnaraju, A.V. et al. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of anti-inflammatory effect of Aflapin: a novel Boswellia serrata extract. Mol Cell Biochem 354, 189–197 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-011-0818-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-011-0818-1

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