CLINICAL TRIAL article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1577429
This article is part of the Research TopicIntegrating Approaches Traditional and Biomedical Therapies in Rheumatological and other Inflammatory Musculoskeletal DiseasesView all articles
A full-spectrum Boswellia serrata extract with enhanced bioavailability and its co-delivery with a bioavailable curcumin alleviates pain and stiffness associated with moderate Spondylitis: A randomized doubleblinded, placebo-controlled, 3-arm comparative study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of General Medicine, Divakar's Specialty Hospital, Bengaluru, India
- 2Akay Natural Ingredients Private Limited, Ernakulam, Kerala, India
- 3Amala Cancer Research Centre, Thrissur, Kerala, India
- 4Leads Clinical Research and Bio Services Private Limited, Bangalore, India
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Objective: Pain and stiffness at neck, back, hip and other joints due to conditions like spondylitis or spondylosis is one of the most widespread musculoskeletal concerns globally. The present study evaluated the relative efficacy of a bioavailability enhanced full-spectrum extract of boswellia oleogum resin (F-BSE) and its co-delivery system with curcumin (C-BSE) in ameliorating pain and stiffness in otherwise healthy participants.The study adopted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-arm, parallel groups comparative design. The participants received either placebo, F-BSE or C-BSE for 28 days at 400 mg/day. Efficacy was assessed using both subjective tools [Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) questionnaires) and objective measures (clinical markers, NLRP3 and IL-1β).Results: A total of 105 participants (n = 35/group) were recruited, off which 94 completed the 28-day study period. Both F-BSE and C-BSE groups showed significant reductions in pain, stiffness, and neckrelated disability, as reflected in BASDAI and NDI scores. Additionally, NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1β levels were significantly reduced by days 14 and 28. These outcomes suggest that the combination of curcuminoids and boswellic acids with improved bioavailability modulates inflammatory pathways, contributing to symptom relief and improved function.Both F-BSE and C-BSE reduced pain and stiffness issues by day 14, which continued to progress through day 28. However, C-BSE demonstrated superior effect compared to F-BSE indicating a synergetic anti-inflammatory and analgesic action when the full-spectrum boswellia extract and curcumin are delivered as a water soluble, non-covalent complex with enhanced bioavailability, using FenuMat® delivery technology
Keywords: Spondylitis, neck/back/joint pain, Curcumin, Boswellia, bioavailability
Received: 16 Mar 2025; Accepted: 30 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 K, Prabhakaran, Syam Das, Kanjoormana Aryan and V Thomas. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jestin V Thomas, Leads Clinical Research and Bio Services Private Limited, Bangalore, India
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