• The Effect of Boswellia Carteri Essential Oil on Morphology, Growth Kinetics and Differentiation of Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells
  • Tahereh Emam,1,* Davood Mehrabani,2
    1. Department of Biochemistry, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran
    2. Stem Cell Technology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran


  • Introduction: Boswellia carteri (frankincense) is a gum resin of Burseraceae family with many therapeutic applications. Stem cells can differentiate into specialized cell and play an important role in treating a number of diseases. This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of Boswellia Carteri on morphology, growth kinetics and differentiation of bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs).
  • Methods: BMSCs were provided from femoral bone of Guinea pigs and were seeded in a 24-well plate. They were characterized morphologically and for osteogenic differentiation property and by RT-PCR for mesenchymal marker CD90 and hematopoietic marker CD34. BMSCs at passage 4th were exposed to different doses of essential oils of B. carteri. Cells were collected from each well 1–8 days after seeding and population doubling time and cell growth curves were determined.
  • Results: BMSCs were all adhered to the culture flasks and displayed spindle-shape morphology. An increasing growth and mitotic division were shown for all doses of frankincense. All cells were positive for mesenchymal marker and osteogenic induction after exposure to frankincense. From day 5th to 8th, cell growth in all three groups of exposure to B. carteri was significantly higher than the control group.
  • Conclusion: Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that Boswellia carteri (frankincense) has an increasing and positive role in the growth of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and these results can open a new window in the laboratory and clinical research of stem cells.
  • Keywords: Boswellia carteri, Growth, Mesenchymal stem cells, Bone marrow