Cytotoxicity Potential of Essential Oils and Extracts of Oleo-Gum Resins from Boswellia papyrifera (Tarak tarak) Grown in Different Regions of the Sudan

In this study, three samples of oleo-gum resins of Boswellia papyrifera (Tarak tarak) grown in different regions of the Sudan were used (Kordofan, Damazine and Nagawa). Solvent extracts, acid fractions and essential oils of the three samples were evaluated for their cytotoxicity potential via the brine shrimp lethality assay. Results revealed a dose–dependent response in mortality, and where the degree of lethality was directly proportional to the concentration of the extracts. Among all tested materials, the best cytotoxic activity was exhibited by the methanolic extracts and acid fractions of the three samples, non acid fractions from Kordofan and Damazine olibanum as well as the petroleum extract of Damazine sample. All examined materials, excluding the volatile oils of Damazine and Nagawa samples, showed high cytotoxicity with LD50 values less than 20 μg /ml; thus can be used to predict anti-carcinogenic activity.

Comparative Study and GC/MS Analyses of Oleo-Gum Resins extracts obtained from Boswellia papyrifera (Tarak tarak)

Three samples of oleogum resins of Boswellia papyrifera grown in some parts of the Sudan were subjected to screening with the objective of evaluating phytochemical constituents of their extracts (petroleum ether, and methanol) as well as their acid fractions. Gas chromatography/Mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis revealed that the main components in the petroleum ether extracts were sequentially naphtho [1, 2-b] furan-2-one (24.23%), oleic acid (22.39%) and octadecanoic acid (20.45%), whereas the principal chemical compounds in the methanolic extracts were lycopene (13.78%), oleic acid (28.60%) and benzoic acid (26.90%). The dominant molecule in the acid fractions of both Kordofan and Damazine samples was hexadecanoic acid (16.46% and 23.33%, respectively), while that from Nagawa olibanum was oleic acid (15.34%)