Pharmacokinetic Characteristics and Therapeutic Efficacy of Frankincense Extract Nanoemulsion on Multiple Sclerosis: An Animal Study Publisher



N Ketabchi NAJMEH ; F Esmaeli FARIBA ; A Amani AMIR
Source: BioNanoScience Published:2025

Abstract

Frankincense, the gum resin obtained from Boswellia trees, contains high levels of boswellic acids (BAs) that have demonstrated potential in modulating multiple sclerosis (MS). However, its low water solubility has limited its oral bioavailability. This work is aimed at improving the oral bioavailability and therapeutic efficiency of frankincense extract in MS by encapsulating it in an edible nanoemulsion (NE). Subsequent to preparation and characterization, Caco-2 cells were exposed to extract-loaded NE (NE-BA) to evaluate the permeability of BAs. Then, pharmacokinetic studies were performed, followed by induction of MS model in C57BL/6 mice (EAE). The outcomes of treatment using NE-BA in the model were also recorded and compared with that of bulk Boswellia extract (BA). Flow cytometry and histopathology studies were then performed on the mice spleen and spinal cords, respectively. The results showed that the NE droplets were less than 20 nm in size. The apparent permeability constant was 1.5666 × 10−6 cm/sec in NE-BA group and 8.2833 × 10−7 cm/sec in BA group. Cmax, Tmax, and AUC0-t were 14.55 μg/mL, 3 h, and 4593.72 μg.min/mL in NE-BA-treated group and 2.27 μg/mL, t = 6 h, and 2067 μg.min/mL in BA-treated group, respectively. The histopathology and flow cytometry studies also confirmed the effectiveness of NE-BA over BA treatment. To conclude, this study indicated the superiority of NE in improving bioavailability and efficacy of frankincense extract in treatment of MS. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.