Abstract
Frankincense (
Boswellia sacra
Fluck.,) is traditionally used in the treatment of altered male fertile potential in several countries. This study evaluated the cytoprotective action of
B. sacra
oleo gum resin extract against cyclophosphamide (CP) induced testicular toxicity in rats (in-vivo) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced cytotoxicity in human Leydig cells (in-vitro). The methanolic extract of
B. sacra
was standardized for the presence of different boswellic acids using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and volatile constituents in the extract were detected by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Two doses of
B. sacra
extract were used in the in-vivo study. The HPLC analysis showed that extract contains about 36% w/w of total boswellic acids and GC–MS analysis revealed the presence of another 71 different constituents. Administration of
B. sacra
extract to rats increased serum testosterone levels, antioxidant enzyme activities, and sperm count with improved sperm quality in a dose-dependent manner, when compared to CP treated animals.
Boswellia sacra
extract also protected the human Leydig cells against LPS-induced damage and increased the expression of the Bcl-2 gene along with a decrease in caspase-3 gene expression. The results of this study show that
B. sacra
extract has a protective effect on the male reproductive system.