{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T07:39:48Z","timestamp":1791877188756,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,25]],"date-time":"2025-08-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756080000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Frankincense<\/jats:italic> (<jats:italic>Boswellia sacra<\/jats:italic>) Resin has been used in traditional medicine for millennia because of its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and wound-healing characteristics. Recent research has proved its medicinal promise, particularly against resistant bacterial strains and oxidative stress.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study seeks to assess the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of <jats:italic>Boswellia sacra<\/jats:italic> resin, extracted with ethanol, and to formulate a topical cream for dermatological use, specifically targeting skin infections and inflammatory conditions such as acne.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Two techniques were used to extract <jats:italic>frankincense<\/jats:italic> resin: maceration and Soxhlet. The well diffusion method was used to evaluate the antibacterial activity against <jats:italic>Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus.<\/jats:italic> The DPPH radical scavenging test was used to determine antioxidant activity. We produced and assessed the physical characteristics of a cream formulation containing <jats:italic>Boswellia sacra<\/jats:italic> extract, such as texture, homogeneity, and spreadability.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The ethanol extract of <jats:italic>Boswellia sacra<\/jats:italic> demonstrated notable antibacterial efficacy, especially against <jats:italic>Staphylococcus aureus<\/jats:italic>, with an inhibition zone measuring 15\u202fmm at a dosage of 100\u202fmg\/mL. The antioxidant activity exhibited a dose-dependent relationship, with Soxhlet extraction demonstrating superior radical scavenging activity (84.66%) relative to maceration. The developed cream exhibited superior organoleptic characteristics, such as homogeneity, smoothness, and spreadability, suggesting its suitability for topical use.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The results validate the notable antibacterial and antioxidant characteristics of <jats:italic>Boswellia sacra<\/jats:italic> resin. The formulated cream is a viable option for addressing skin infections and inflammatory illnesses, integrating traditional applications with contemporary pharmacological compositions.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1664265","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,25]],"date-time":"2025-08-25T04:10:25Z","timestamp":1756095025000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Boswellia sacra resin: extraction, evaluation, and formulation into a topical cream for dermatological applications"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Abdulhakim","family":"Al-Saban","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdullah H.","family":"Maad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ali Salman","family":"Al-Sham","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hammood Mohamed","family":"Saad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"78","DOI":"10.22159\/ajpcr.2022.v15i12.45993","article-title":"Polyherbal formulation and wound healing potential","volume":"15","author":"Haque","year":"2022","journal-title":"Asian J Pharm Clin Res"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.9734\/jpri\/2022\/v34i51B7204","article-title":"Evaluation of herbal wound gel in experimental animal models","volume":"34","author":"Khadka","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Pharm Res Int."},{"key":"ref3","first-page":"1999","article-title":"Chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oil from Boswellia sacra Flueck","volume":"19","author":"Al-Harrasi","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int J Mol Sci"},{"key":"ref4","first-page":"400","article-title":"The genus Boswellia: an ethnopharmacological and phytochemical review","volume":"66","author":"Shen","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Nat Med"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"95","DOI":"10.22159\/ajpcr.2022.v15i12.45840","article-title":"A comparative evaluation of polyherbal topical gel for wound healing","volume":"15","author":"Al-Shami","year":"2022","journal-title":"Asian J Pharm Clin Res"},{"key":"ref6","first-page":"3284","article-title":"Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils from four Boswellia species","volume":"25","author":"Di Stefano","year":"2020","journal-title":"Molecules"},{"key":"ref7","first-page":"1090","article-title":"Boswellia species: phytochemistry and biological activity","volume":"87","author":"Mertens-Talcott","year":"2021","journal-title":"Planta Med"},{"key":"ref8","first-page":"115013","article-title":"Effect of Boswellia sacra extract on acne vulgaris: evidence from clinical and in vitro studies","volume":"288","author":"Zhang","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Ethnopharmacol"},{"key":"ref9","first-page":"109","article-title":"Therapeutic and cosmetic uses of frankincense: an update","volume":"11","author":"Rahman","year":"2017","journal-title":"Pharmacogn Rev"},{"key":"ref10","first-page":"2861","article-title":"Phytocosmetics: a review of plant extracts for dermatological applications","volume":"19","author":"Faccio","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Cosmet Dermatol"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.9734\/jpri\/2022\/v34i47B36405","article-title":"Investigation of herbal gel formulation for dermal wound healing","volume":"34","author":"Haque","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Pharm Res Int"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules27010233","article-title":"Role of phenolic compounds in human disease","volume":"27","author":"Rahman","year":"2021","journal-title":"Current Knowledge and Future Prospects. mol."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Medicine"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1664265\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,25]],"date-time":"2025-08-25T04:10:28Z","timestamp":1756095028000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1664265\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,25]]},"references-count":12,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fmed.2025.1664265"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1664265","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-858X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-858X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,25]]},"article-number":"1664265"}}