The aim of this study was to assess the anti-inflammatory efficacy of Boswellia frereana extracts in an in vitro model of cartilage degeneration and determine its potential as a therapy for treating osteoarthritis. Cartilage degradation was induced in vitro by treating explants with 5 ng/ml interleukin1alpha (IL-1alpha) and 10 ng/ml oncostatin M (OSM) over a 28-day period, in the presence or absence of 100 microg/ml B. frereana. Treatment of IL-1alpha/OSM stimulated cartilage explants with B. frereana inhibited the breakdown of the collagenous matrix. B. frereana reduced MMP9 and MMP13 mRNA levels, inhibited MMP9 expression and activation, and significantly reduced the production of nitrite (stable end product of nitric oxide), prostaglandin E2 and cycloxygenase-2. Epi-lupeol was identified as the principal constituent of B. frereana. This is the first report on the novel anti-inflammatory properties of Boswellia frereana in an in vitro model of cartilage degradation. We have demonstrated that B. frereana prevents collagen degradation, and inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and MMPs. Due to its efficacy we propose that B. frereana should be examined further as a potential therapeutic agent for treating inflammatory symptoms associated with arthritis.

The essential oils from Commiphora species have for centuries been recognized to possess medicinal properties. Here, we performed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry on the essential oil from opoponax (Commiphora guidotti) and identified bisabolene isomers as the main constituents of this essential oil. Opoponax essential oil, a chemical component; β-bisabolene and an alcoholic analogue, α-bisabolol, were tested for their ability to selectively kill breast cancer cells. Only β-bisabolene, a sesquiterpene constituting 5% of the essential oil, exhibited selective cytotoxic activity for mouse cells (IC50 in normal Eph4: >200 µg/ml, MG1361: 65.49 µg/ml, 4T1: 48.99 µg/ml) and human breast cancer cells (IC50 in normal MCF-10A: 114.3 µg/ml, MCF-7: 66.91 µg/ml, MDA-MB-231: 98.39 µg/ml, SKBR3: 70.62 µg/ml and BT474: 74.3 µg/ml). This loss of viability was because of the induction of apoptosis as shown by Annexin V-propidium iodide and caspase-3/7 activity assay. β-bisabolene was also effective in reducing the growth of transplanted 4T1 mammary tumours in vivo (37.5% reduction in volume by endpoint). In summary, we have identified an anti-cancer agent from the essential oil of opoponax that exhibits specific cytotoxicity to both human and murine mammary tumour cells in vitro and in vivo, and this warrants further investigation into the use of β-bisabolene in the treatment of breast cancers.

• Chromogranin-A (CHGA) is pro-hormone and is secreted in the gut. CHGA is elevated in colitis and is associated with the disease severity. The lack of GHGA has beneficial immunomodulatory properties during the development of intestinal inflammation. The lack of CHGA regulates the plasticity of macrophages and p53/caspase activation in colitis. Functional analysis of CHGA may lead to a novel therapy for IBD.

Vicenin-2, a C-glycoside flavone that is present in many plant sources, exerts potent antiinflammatory effects in a number of cell and animal models of inflammation. Ten-eleven translocation (TET)-2 has recently gained considerable attention due to the role it plays in regulating the inflammasome. We studied the ability of Vicenin-2 (V-2) to regulate a range This study demonstrates that the anti-inflammatory actions of V-2 are associated not only with increased IL-10 and IL-1Ra expression but also with TET-2 expression. Further work is required to establish if the effects of V-2 can be definitively linked to TET-2 activity and that these actions are mirrored in a range of relevant cell types.

With the recent ban on organotin-containing antifouling coatings by the International Maritime Organisation and doubts about paints containing copper, there is a pressing need for environmentally benign antifoulants. In the current study, we investigated the use of opoponax essential oil (scented myrrh Commiphora guidotti), its constituent terpenes/oids: ocimene, β-bisabolene, α-bisabolol and farnesol, and sandalwood essential oil in this role. Assays using cypris larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite revealed that coatings of the sesquiterpenoid alcohols (farnesol and α-bisabolol) and sandalwood essential oil (determined by a gas chromatograph-flame ionisation detector to consist of 78.1% santolol, another sesquiterpenoid alcohol) were the most larvicidal. The LC 50 values after 48 h were 18 (farnesol), 88 (α-bisabolol) and 165 µg well -1 (sandalwood essential oil). No anti-settlement was observed without accompanying larvicidal activity and no synergistic effects were seen when oils were used in combination. Farnesol and α-bisabolol exhibited very low leaching rates into assay water, suggesting that cyprid mortality may have resulted from direct contact with the coatings. Extending the duration of these assays from 48 to 120 h increased settlement in controls but did not reveal additional anti-settlement activity in the presence of oils. Inclusion of the settlement inducer, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX, 10 -5 M) increased settlement in controls and demonstrated anti-settlement activity in opoponax essential oil without any significant cyprid mortality. Field trials that incorporated opoponax essential oil or the terpenes/oids into marine paint either individually or in 1:1 mixtures did not show clear evidence of antifouling activity at the concentrations tested.