Roles of ethylene, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid and their interactions in frankincense resin production in Boswellia sacra Flueck. trees

Abstract

The roles of ethylene, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid and their interactions in frankincense resin production in Boswellia sacra trees growing in the drylands of Oman were studied. On March 18 (Experiment 1) and September 17 (Experiment 2), 2018, 32-year-old B. sacra trees with multiple trunks were selected at the Agricultural Experiment Station, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. Various lanolin pastes containing Ethrel, an ethylene-releasing compound; methyl jasmonate; sodium salicylate; and combinations of these compounds were applied to debarked wounds 15 mm in diameter on the trunks. After a certain period, the frankincense resin secreted from each wound was harvested and weighed. The anatomical characteristics of the resin ducts were also studied in the bark tissue near the upper end of each wound. The combination of Ethrel and methyl jasmonate greatly enhanced frankincense resin production within 7 days in both seasons. The application of methyl jasmonate alone, sodium salicylate alone or a combination of both did not affect resin production. These findings suggest a high possibility of artificial enhancement of frankincense resin production by the combined application of Ethrel and methyl jasmonate to B. sacra trees.

BAHD acetyltransferase contributes to wound‐induced biosynthesis of oleo‐gum resin triterpenes in Boswellia

“…The bark of select Boswellia trees, e.g., B. serrata , B. sacra , B. carterii , and B. frereana exudes specialized oleo‐gum resin (henceforth referred to as resin) in response to wounding, which is enriched with boswellic acids (BAs), a group of pentacyclic triterpenes and C3α‐ O ‐acetyl derivatives (Ammon, 2016; Yamamoto et al. , 2020). Notably, BAs are of medicinal interest due to their therapeutic uses in chronic inflammatory diseases (Ammon, 2016; Majeed et al.…”

Ontogenesis of Resin Ducts and Secretory Process in Protium spruceanum (Burseraceae) Stems

“…The resin-secreting ducts in the stems of P. spruceanum are distributed in the primary and secondary phloem, in close proximity to the sources of carbohydrates necessary for the energy consuming reactions involved in the synthesis of the secreted compounds (Begum et al, 2012;. Similarly, the distribution of ducts in the primary phloem and in concentric cylinders in the secondary phloem has been described in P. heptaphyllum (Palermo et al, 2018), P. ovatum (Rosalem et al, 2017), B. sacra (from which myrrh, the sacred incense is extracted), B. serrata (Burseraceae) (Nair & Subrahmanyam, 1998;Tegasne et al, 2020;Yamamoto et al, 2020), and Pistacia lentiscus (Anacardiceae) . There are no horizontal branches in P. spruceanum, as seen in P. heptaphyllum (Palermo et al, 2018), where threedimensional networks permeate the axial and radial systems of the phloem.…”

“…The antimicrobial activities of triterpenes present in the resins of Burseraceae species contribute to plant defenses against pathogens (Coley & Barone, 1996; Piva et al, 2019). Those compounds often have a pleasant aroma and have been exploited for medicinal and religious uses, such as the resin of Boswellia sacra which is used in the production of myrrh, the sacred incense (Nair & Subrahmanyam, 1998; Tegasne et al, 2020; Yamamoto et al, 2020). The chemical compositions and potential uses of resins from other species in the Burseraceae family, however, are still unknown.…”

Acetyl‐11‐keto‐β‐boswellic Acid Confers Protection in DSS‐Induced Colitis via the JNK–p38 MAPK and NF‐κB Signaling Pathways

“…Its main chemistry became to be of two kinds, including volatile oil and compounds of the mushrooms, which are also known as boswellic acids because the compounds of the mushrooms all contain a carboxylic mechanism. [36,37] Boswellic acid can effectively control the activity of 5-lipoxygenase and reduce the formation of inflammatory factors, thereby exerting the anti-inflammatory effect of frankincense. [38] The group of compounds from the boswellic acid family mainly includes α-boswellic acid, β-boswellic acid, the derivative ethanolactic acid, and AKBA.…”