The oleo gum resin of Boswellia sacra Fleuck. (Burseraceae) is widely consumed for treatment of several diseases and disorders. To determine the effect of repeated administration of this resin on liver and kidney functions, three different doses of standardized methanolic extract were administered orally to rats for 28 days. Apart from histological studies and determination of biomarkers of hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, other parameters of sub-chronic toxicity such as behavioral change, food consumption and change in body weight were assessed. The extract contained about 36.91% of total boswellic acids; of which 11-keto beta boswellic acid, acetyl-11-keto beta boswellic acid, boswellic acids (α and β) and acetyl boswellic acid (α and β) were found to be 5.81%, 1.91%, 21.92% and 7.27% respectively. Oral administration of the extract for 28 consecutive days did not show any sign of behavioral toxicity and did not affect food consumption or weight gain significantly. Determination of biomarkers of hepatic and nephrotoxicity revealed that extract was safe at the tested doses as it did not produce any significant change in the studied biomarkers except producing a dose dependent increase in serum total protein levels. The histological examination supported biochemical findings. To conclude, methanolic extract of Boswellia sacra doen not produce any significant toxicity to liver and kidney up to doses of 100 mg/kg body weight. The results contradict earlier reports that members of boswellia species produce organ toxicity in rats.

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The present work was aimed to evaluate oleo-gum resins aqueous, methanol and chloroform extracts of Commiphora myrrha for antimicrobial activity against four types of bacteria and twelve species and strains of fungi. All of the oleo-gum resin extracts irrespective of their types inhibited the growth of all microbes to varying degrees. Aqueous extract showed the least antibacterial and antifungal activity against all of the pathogens used especially with regard to gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (11 mm) and Escherichia coli (11 mm) in concentration of 100 mg mLG 1 as compared to methanol or chloroform. Less or no activity was observed against Trichophyton concentricum (7.01 mm) and 4.01 mm inhibition zone for Candida rugosa in the same concentration used. The oleo-gum resins methanol extracts in different concentrations were significantly inhibitory to the growth of the different tested fungal dermatophytes. Reduction in mycelial weight of fungi was directly correlated with concentration of extract. The concentration of 200 mg mLG 1 of myrrha was the most inhibitory against Epidermophyton floccosum with 2 g mycelial fresh weight while the less inhibition in the growth was obtained in Candida albicans and it was 6.61 g in the same extract concentration. The other used fungal or bacterial groups showed varying degrees of activity pending on the type of extract used. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values of methanol and aqueous extracts of oleo-gum resins of myrrh showed that the highest values were obtained in methanol extract for Trichophyton concentricum and lowest MIC values for the same extract for the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. In the aqueous extract of myrrha the highest and lowest MIC values were found for Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Phytochemical analyses showed the presence of Sesquiterpenes (Isoprenoids i.e., Terpenoids) and Furanosesquiterpenes as major constituents of the oleo-gum resins of the plant. These results confirm the antibacterial and antifungal activity of gum resins and support the traditional use of the myrrh in therapy of bacterial infections.

Moringa oleifera is known to possess wound healing activity. The present study evaluated the healing properties of methanolic extract of M. oleifera leaves in excision wounds infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or P. aeruginosa in diabetic rats. An in vitro study was also carried out to determine the gene expression of VEGF and TGF-β1. Preliminary phytochemical and GC-MS analyses were carried out to determine different chemical constituents present in the extract. M. oleifera was applied locally as an ointment at two different concentrations. Wound contraction, period of epithelization, antioxidant enzyme activities and histological changes were determined. For the gene expression study, HaCaT cell lines were used. The formulation of M. oleifera extract improved wound contraction and decreased the period of epithelization, which was associated with an increase in antioxidant enzyme activities, epithelization, capillary density and collagen formation in MRSA-infected diabetic rats. However, this effect was reduced in diabetic animals infected with P. aeruginosa. An increase in the expression of VEGF and TGF-β1 was observed in HaCaT cell lines. M. oleifera extract promotes the healing of infected wounds in MRSA-infected diabetic rats but is less effective in the healing of wounds infected with P. aeruginosa in diabetic rats.