Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38223806›Full record

ArticleJournal of traditional and complementary medicine2024

Boswellic acid formulations are not suitable for treatment of pediatric high-grade glioma due to tumor promoting potential.

Maria Wiese, Bente Pohlmeier, Klaudia Kubiak, Fatma E El-Khouly, Maren Sitte, Angel M Carcaboso, Joshua N Baugh, Thomas Perwein, Gunther Nussbaumer, Michael Karremann and 3 more

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of traditional and complementary medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Advances in radiation oncology · 2025
    Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.

Maria WieseDivision of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Child and Adolescent Health, University Medical Center Goettingen, Robert Koch Straße 40, Goettingen, Germany.
Bente PohlmeierDivision of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Child and Adolescent Health, University Medical Center Goettingen, Robert Koch Straße 40, Goettingen, Germany.
Klaudia KubiakDivision of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Child and Adolescent Health, University Medical Center Goettingen, Robert Koch Straße 40, Goettingen, Germany.
Fatma E El-KhoulyPediatric Oncology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, De Boelelaan 1118 Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Maren SitteTranscriptome and Genome Analysis Laboratory (TAL), Department of Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, Goettingen, Germany.
Angel M CarcabosoPediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu/Institut de Recerca, Sant Joan de Deu 2, Barcelona, Spain.
Joshua N BaughPrincess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Thomas PerweinDivision of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 38, Graz, Austria.
Gunther NussbaumerDivision of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 38, Graz, Austria.
Michael KarremannInstitute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Bonn, Germany.
Gerrit H GielenInstitute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Bonn, Germany.
Gabriela SalinasTranscriptome and Genome Analysis Laboratory (TAL), Department of Developmental Biochemistry, University Medical Center Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, Goettingen, Germany.
Christof M KrammDivision of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Child and Adolescent Health, University Medical Center Goettingen, Robert Koch Straße 40, Goettingen, Germany.
University of Göttingen · DEMedical University of Graz · ATUniversity Hospital Bonn · DEEmma Kinderziekenhuis · NLHospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona · ESPrincess Máxima Center · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background and aim: Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pedHGG) comprise a very poor prognosis. Thus, parents of affected children are increasingly resorting to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), among those Boswellia extracts. However, nothing is known about the therapeutic effectiveness of their active substances, Boswellic acids (BA) in pedHGG. Thus, we aimed to investigate if the three main Boswellic acids (BA) present in Boswellia plants, alpha-boswellic acid (α-BA), beta-boswellic acid (β-BA) and 3-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA) hold any promising potential for treatment of affected pedHGG patients. Experimental procedure: Histone 3 (H3)-wildtype and H3.3K27M-mutant pedHGG cell lines were treated with BA, either alone or in combination with radio-chemotherapy with temozolomide. Cell viability, stemness properties, apoptosis, Results and conclusion: Interestingly, α-BA and β-BA treatment promoted certain tumor properties in both pedHGG cells. AKBA treatment reduced cell viability and colony growth accompanied by induction of slight anti-inflammatory effects especially in H3.3K27M-mutant pedHGG cells. However, no effects on apoptosis and in ovo tumor growth were found. In conclusion, besides positive anti-tumor effects of AKBA, tumor promoting effects were observed upon treatment with α-BA and β-BA. Thus, only pure AKBA formulations may be used to exploit any potential positive effects in pedHGG patients. In conclusion, the use of commercially available supplements with a mixture of different BA cannot be recommended due to detrimental effects of certain BA whereas pure AKBA formulations might hold some potential as therapeutic supplement for treatment of pedHGG patients.

Indexed as

3-Acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA)Alpha-boswellic acid (α-BA)Beta-boswellic acid (β-BA)Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG)

Identifiers

PMID38223806
PMCPMC10785237
OpenAlexW4385254838

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.