Boswellia Serrata's Bioavailability

NOBLESVILLE, Ind.—Recent research on extracts and purified compounds from the gum resin of Boswellia serrata shed light on the bioavailability of a compound shown partially responsible for the plant’s joint health and inflammatory modulating principles.

“The recent research on Boswellia confirms 11-keto β-boswellic acid, or KBA, may be the appropriate active biomarker to measure consumption of Boswellia extracts,” said Blake Ebersole, technical director of Verdure Sciences.

A human pharmacokinetic study in 2003 found a single 333 mg dose of WOKVEL® led to a maximum KBA plasma concentration of 2.7 micromolar. The concentration needed to cut in half the activity of 5-lipoxygenase, a primary mediator of the inflammatory process, was found to be at least 2.8 micromolar.

“The findings suggest that further research on Boswellia should consider focusing on KBA as the bioactive, bioavailable plasma marker from Boswellia extracts containing natural amounts of all six active boswellic acids,” said Ebersole.

In a study published in February 2009, experiments in CACO-2 cell cultures measuring bioavailability through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract found moderate absorption of KBA, compared to the measurement of other marker compounds from Boswellia (Eur J Pharm Sci. 2009;36(2-3):275-84). In a 2008 study in in vivo models, KBA was detected in plasma and metabolized to hydroxylated boswellic acid derivatives, in contrast to other potential boswellic acid markers. This research is consistent with prior human pharmacokinetic studies on WOKVEL Extract indicating (KBA) is an appropriate active plasma marker to measure consumption of Boswellia extracts.