Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity.
BACKGROUND
Originating from Africa, India, and the Middle East, frankincense oil has been important both socially and economically as an ingredient in incense and perfumes for thousands of years. Frankincense oil is prepared from aromatic hardened gum resins obtained by tapping Boswellia trees. One of the main components of frankincense oil is boswellic acid, a component known to have anti-neoplastic properties. The goal of this study was to evaluate frankincense oil for its anti-tumor activity and signaling pathways in bladder cancer cells.


METHODS
Frankincense oil-induced cell viability was investigated in human bladder cancer J82 cells and immortalized normal bladder urothelial UROtsa cells. Temporal regulation of frankincense oil-activated gene expression in bladder cancer cells was identified by microarray and bioinformatics analysis.


RESULTS
Within a range of concentration, frankincense oil suppressed cell viability in bladder transitional carcinoma J82 cells but not in UROtsa cells. Comprehensive gene expression analysis confirmed that frankincense oil activates genes that are responsible for cell cycle arrest, cell growth suppression, and apoptosis in J82 cells. However, frankincense oil-induced cell death in J82 cells did not result in DNA fragmentation, a hallmark of apoptosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Frankincense oil appears to distinguish cancerous from normal bladder cells and suppress cancer cell viability. Microarray and bioinformatics analysis proposed multiple pathways that can be activated by frankincense oil to induce bladder cancer cell death. Frankincense oil might represent an alternative intravesical agent for bladder cancer treatment.
Frank
Mark Barton
MB
Department of Urology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA. frank@omrf.org
Yang
Qing
Q
Osban
Jeanette
J
Azzarello
Joseph T
JT
Saban
Marcia R
MR
Saban
Ricardo
R
Ashley
Richard A
RA
Welter
Jan C
JC
Fung
Kar-Ming
KM
Lin
Hsueh-Kung
HK
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D029743:Boswellia; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012116:Resins, Plant; D014157:Transcription Factors; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D019459:Urothelium / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012116:Resins, Plant; D014157:Transcription Factors