Antiangiogenic and cytotoxic activity of boswellic acid on breast cancer MCF-7 cells

Boswellic acid possesses anticancer activity, however, its underlying mechanism(s) remain unexplored. Here, we report boswellic acid as a potent anticancer agent that acts against multiple intracellular targets that affect angiogenesis (VEGF), inflammation (TNF-α, IL-12), apoptosis (caspase-3 & -9) and antioxidant (SOD & CAT) based anticarcinogenic mechanisms. It inhibits MCF-7 cell proliferation and potentiates the cell death induced by VEGF antibody. A dose-dependent decrease in the levels of VEGF and TNF-α and significant increase in caspases-3 and -9 activities in MCF-7 cells were observed. To conclude, the results of the present study suggest that boswellic acts via multiple albeit specific molecular targets to elicit anticarcinogenic activity.