Effect of Food Intake on the Bioavailability of Boswellic Acids from a Herbal Preparation in Healthy Volunteers

Abstract

In this study we investigated the effects of concomitant food intake on the bioavailability of distinct boswellic acids (BAs) from the test preparation BSE-018, a dry extract from Boswellia serrata gum resin. In a randomised, open, single-dose, two-way crossover study, healthy male subjects received three capsules of BSE-018 equivalent to 786 mg dry extract of Boswellia serrata gum resin either in the fasted state or together with a standardised high-fat meal. BA plasma concentrations were analysed for up to 60 h after oral dosing by reversed phase HPLC. As compared to the fasted state (treatment A), the administration of BSE-018 concomitantly with a high-fat meal (treatment B) led to several-fold increased areas under the plasma concentration-time curves as well as peak concentrations of β-boswellic acid (βBA), 11-keto-β-boswellic acid (KβBA) and acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKβBA). Plasma levels of both acetyl-α-boswellic acid (AαBA) and αBA became only detectable when administered with treatment B, i. e., the high-fat meal. Accordingly, pharmacokinetic data could be calculated for βBA, KβBA and AKβBA (treatment A) and for βBA, KβBA, AKβBA, αBA, and AαBA (treatment B). For the first time these data reveal detailed kinetics of BAs after oral dosing of an extract and demonstrate a profound effect of food intake on the pharmacokinetic profile of the BAs. This finding should be very important whenever BAs would be considered for therapeutic use.

Key words

Boswellia serrata - Burseraceae - boswellic acid - pharmacokinetics - half-life - bioavailability

References

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