Antibacterial Activity of Boswellia carterii Aqueous Extract and Its Effect on Phagocytosis in vitro

Boswellia serrata has been traditionally used for the treatment of several inflammatory diseases, and bacterial resistance to antibiotics has recently increased the use of bioproducts. The present study aimed to assess the antibacterial effect and phagocytic ability of the aqueous extract of the Boswellia serrata in bacteria isolated in nosocomial infections. Boswellia carterii plant was collected and prepared from the aqueous extract in different concentrations. A total of 125 samples were collected from various clinical sources, including urine, sputum, wounds, otitis, and blood, from patients of both genders in different age groups. The results demonstrated that out of the 59 infected samples, urine samples had the highest infection (68%), followed by wounds, sputum, and otitis reported as (60%), (44%), and (40%), respectively. On the other hand, blood samples had the lowest percentage of infection (28%). Microscopic diagnostic results, biochemical tests, API Staph System, API 20E System, and Vitek 2 Compact pointed out that the highest infection rates were related to Staphylococcus aureus (32.20%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (25.33%), and Escherichia coli (22.03%), while the lowest infection rate was detected in Klebsiella pneumonia (20.33%). The results indicated that aqueous extract of Boswellia carterii had an antibacterial activity for all bacterial isolates, 25 mg/ml of extract gave an inhibition zone of 10.8 mm,10.4 mm, 7mm, and 10mm for S. aureus, E. coli, P aeruginosa, and K. pneumonia, respectively, while 200 mg/ml of extract gave 24 mm, 22 mm, 18.4 mm, and 20 mm, respectively. The results pointed to a significant increase in the phagocytosis rate, with the phagocytosis of blood samples treated with Boswellia carterii extract (79.7%), as compared to control samples (57.75%). As evidenced by the results of this study, the aqueous extract of the Boswellia carterii plant showed antibacterial effects and a positive impact on the phagocytic ratio; nonetheless, it is recommended that further studies be conducted to characterize the compounds of this herb.