Siddiqui M Z
Processing and Product Development Division, Indian Institute of Natural Resins and Gums, Namkum, Ranchi-834 010, India.
Indian J Pharm Sci. 2011 May;73(3):255-61. doi: 10.4103/0250-474X.93507.
The resin of Boswellia species has been used as incense in religious and cultural ceremonies and in medicines since time immemorial. Boswellia serrata (Salai/Salai guggul), is a moderate to large sized branching tree of family Burseraceae (Genus Boswellia), grows in dry mountainous regions of India, Northern Africa and Middle East. Oleo gum-resin is tapped from the incision made on the trunk of the tree and is then stored in specially made bamboo basket for removal of oil content and getting the resin solidified. After processing, the gum-resin is then graded according to its flavour, colour, shape and size. In India, the States of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are the main source of Boswellia serrata. Regionally, it is also known by different names. The oleo gum-resins contain 30-60% resin, 5-10% essential oils, which are soluble in the organic solvents, and the rest is made up of polysaccharides. Gum-resin extracts of Boswellia serrata have been traditionally used in folk medicine for centuries to treat various chronic inflammatory diseases. The resinous part of Boswellia serrata possesses monoterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, tetracyclic triterpenic acids and four major pentacyclic triterpenic acids i.e. β-boswellic acid, acetyl-β-boswellic acid, 11-keto-β-boswellic acid and acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid, responsible for inhibition of pro-inflammatory enzymes. Out of these four boswellic acids, acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid is the most potent inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase, an enzyme responsible for inflammation.
自古以来，乳香属植物的树脂就被用作宗教和文化仪式中的香料以及药物。锯叶乳香（Salai/Salai guggul）是橄榄科（乳香属）的一种中型至大型的分枝树，生长在印度、北非和中东的干燥山区。从树干上的切口采集油胶树脂，然后将其储存在特制的竹篮中，以去除油分并使树脂固化。经过加工后，根据其风味、颜色、形状和大小对胶树脂进行分级。在印度，安得拉邦、古吉拉特邦、中央邦、贾坎德邦和恰蒂斯加尔邦是锯叶乳香的主要产地。在当地，它也有不同的名称。油胶树脂含有30%-60%的树脂、5%-10%的精油（可溶于有机溶剂），其余部分由多糖组成。几个世纪以来，锯叶乳香的胶树脂提取物在传统民间医学中一直被用于治疗各种慢性炎症性疾病。锯叶乳香的树脂部分含有单萜、二萜、三萜、四环三萜酸和四种主要的五环三萜酸，即β-乳香酸、乙酰-β-乳香酸、11-酮-β-乳香酸和乙酰-11-酮-β-乳香酸，它们负责抑制促炎酶。在这四种乳香酸中，乙酰-11-酮-β-乳香酸是5-脂氧合酶最有效的抑制剂，5-脂氧合酶是一种引发炎症的酶。
