Boswellic Acid Derivatives: A Traditional and Multifunctional Therapeutic Agent for Infectious and Non-Infectious...

Natural products and their intricate framework always offer an unexplored source of chemotypes for any drug discovery. It is identified that >70% of the drugs were discovered directly from the natural sources or their direct analogs. Boswellic acids (BA) are one of such structurally diverse bioactive components that are isolated from the resin of the Boswellia genus. This resin is used for multiple ailments in indigenous medicine, especially in Indian Ayurveda and the Chinese medicine system. However, its complex structure and low bioavailability limit its applications in therapeutic use. Modifying BA (an abundant molecule from nature) semi-synthetically can improve biological and pharmacokinetic properties tremendously. During the past 35 years (1990-2025), numerous semi-synthetic modifications of BA have been established. The synthesized derivatives of BA possess novel molecular mechanisms against infectious and non-infectious diseases, making them valuable candidates for drug development. Based on the chemical/ biological importance, the review is presented, which covers the molecular scaffolds and pharmacological activities of BAs for various infectious and non-infectious diseases. Further, the structure-activity relationship provides a valuable addition to the drug discovery program.