Guggulu – Commiphora mukul Hook ex.

Recent research on Commiphora mukul

• The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of ethanol extract of Commiphora mukul gum resin (CMEE) on blood glucose, plasma insulin, lipid profiles, reduced glutathione, lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and enzymatic antioxidants like superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase in fructose-induced type- 2 diabetic rats. CMEE can improve insulin sensitivity and delay the development of insulin resistance, aggravate antioxidant status in diabetic rats, and may be used as adjuvant therapy for patients with insulin resistance. Ramesh B, Sarala Kumari D Antihyperglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities of ethanolic extract of Commiphora mukul gum resin in fructose-fed male Wistar rats. J Physiol Biochem. 2012 May 13.
• A present study was undertaken to evaluate the cardioprotective potential of Commiphora mukul against isoprenaline-induced myocardial necrosis in rats. It is concluded that Commiphora mukul may be a potential preventive and therapeutic agent against the oxidative stress associated with ischemic heart disease owing to antioxidant and antiperoxidative activity. Ojha S, Bhatia J, Arora S, Golechha M, Kumari S, Arya DS. Card bioprotective effects of Commiphora mukul against isoprenaline induced cardiotoxicity: a biochemical and histo-pathological evaluation. J Environ Biol. 2011 Nov; 32 (6): 731- 8.
• Oleo gum resin extracted by incision of the bark is a very complex mixture of gum, minerals, essential oils, terpenes, sterols, ferrules, flavanones, and sterones. Its active constituents, the Z- and E- guggulsterones, have been demonstrated to exhibit their biological activities by binding to nuclear receptors and modulating the expression of proteins involved in carcinogenic activities, Shah R, Gulati V, Palombo EA. Pharmacological properties of guggulsterone, the major active component of gum guggul. Phytother Res. 2012 Nov; 26 (11): 1594. 605. doi: 10. 1002 Apr. 4647. Epub 2012 Mar 3.
• High-fat diet-induced diabetic rodent models resembling type 11 diabetic conditions in the human population were used to assess the anti-diabetic and hypolipidemic activity of guggulsterone (isolated from Commiphora mukul resin). The results presented here suggest that guggulsterone has both hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects which can help to cure type I diabetes. Sharma B, Salunke R, Srivastava S, Majumder C, Roy P. Effects of guggulsterone isolated from Commiphora mukul in high-fat diet-induced diabetic rats. Food Chemistry toxicology. 2009 Oct; 47 (10): 2631- 9. Epub 2009 Jul 25.
• In the present study effects of the combination of XN + G5 were investigated. A combination of XN and G5 is more patent in exerting anti-obesity effects than additive effects of the individual compounds. Rayalam S, Yang JY, Deila- Fera MA, Park HJ, Ambati S, Baile CA. Anti-obesity effects of xanthohumol plus guggulsterone in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. J Med Food. 2009 Aug; 12 (4): 846- 53. 

Anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic activity- 

• Oleoresin was found to be a highly potent anti-inflammatory agent, as compared to hydrocortisone and butazolidin against Brownlee’s formaldehyde-induced arthritis in albino rats (Gujral et al; 1960)
• The oleoresin fraction possessed significant anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory activities, the minimum effective dose being 12.5mg/ 100g body weight (Santakumari et al; 1964).
• The crude aqueous extract of oleo-gum-resin was found to suppress acute rat-paw edema induced by carrageenan. In adjuvant arthritis, the extract suppressed the secondary lesions and is compared to be more effective than betamethasone. (Satyavathi et al; 1969a).
• The steroidal compound isolated from PE extract possessed significant anti-inflammatory activity on carrageenin-induced rat-paw edema (Arora et al; 1971, 1972). The anti-inflammatory properties of Guggulu are reviewed (Sharma J.M., 1961, G.A.U, Jamnagar). 
• Clinical study on the effect of Shuddha Guggulu in Amavata (RA) is reported to be encouraging (Vyas S.N., G.A.U., Jamnagar, 1983); hope A.B. 1978 & Majumdar, 1979). Suddha Guggulu is found to be effective in Katisula (low back pain) proving the analgesic & anti-inflammatory effect (Pandey D.H, 1993 GAU, Jamnagar).

Antifertility activity-

Oleoresin of gum Guggulu is found to cause also a reduction in the weight of the uterus, ovaries, and cervix with a concomitant increase in their glycogen and sialic acid levels, thereby showing that it might be useful as an antifertility agent (Amma M.K.P et al; 1978).

Anti-atherosclerotic activity– 

• The effect of gum Guggulu was observed on serum cholesterol, fibrinolytic activity, and platelet adhesive index in healthy individuals (group I) and in patients with CAD (group II) for 30 days. Serum fibrinolytic activity improved by 22% and 19% at the end of 24 hrs, whereas after 30 days it was 40% and 30% in groups I & II respectively. Platelet adhesive index showed 22% and 19% after 30 days in groups I and II respectively. Serum cholesterol did not decrease significantly (Bordia & Chuttani, 1979).

• Purified steroidal fractions of Guggulu show a marked inhibition of ADP, adrenaline, and serotonin-induced platelet aggregation. Their inhibitory effect is comparable to the effect of “clofibrate”. The finding has its therapeutic value in myocardial infarction and thromboembolism. The effect of Guggulu on coagulation and fibrinolysis in experimental atherosclerosis is reviewed (Kaur et al; 1980).
• The effect of C. mukul on fibrinolytic activity and platelet aggregation was studied in 42 IHD patients. It was observed that patients with MI were found to have low fibrinolytic activity as compared to cases of angina pectoris, acute coronary insufficiency, and asymptomatic coronary disease but no such difference was observed for platelet aggregation. Administration of Guggulu improved fibrinolytic activity in IHD (Baldwin et al; 1980).

Anti-obesity activity-

• Crude Guggulu was found to reduce the body weight of hydrogenated ground-nut oil-treated rabbits (Satyavati et al; 1969 b).
• Preliminary clinical trials on 22 patients of hypercholesterolemia associated with obesity, IHD, HTN, DM, etc. Guggulu(crude) was administered orally (6.12 mg in 3 divided doses for 15 days to one month. A fall in total serum cholesterol and serum lipid-phosphorus was found in all the cases treated with Guggulu. The body weight of 10 patients with obesity was also found to be reduced significantly (Satyavati, 1966; Dwarakanath & Satyavati, 1970).
• In another study 75 patients (both sex and of different age groups) having varied etiology and clinical manifestations of obesity and lipid disorders were treated with crude Guggulu and PR extract (16 gm. in four divided doses per day for three months). On average there is a 2 kg reduction in one month in both the groups (Pandey et al; 1989)

Hypolipidemic/ hypocholesterolemic activity- 

• Crude Guggulu was reported to possess highly encouraging hypolipidemic activity in rabbits (Satyavati, 1966).
• Anion exchange property was detected using chloride retention and bile acid sequestering activity in the oleoresin fraction hypocholesterolemic activity (Satyavati et al; 1969).
• Crude drugs as well as their two fractions (alcohol soluble and alcohol-insoluble) were found to cause a significant fall in serum cholesterol and serum turbidity with a concomitant increase in the coagulation time and prothrombin time. The alcohol-insoluble fraction was slightly more potent in this respect than the alcohol-soluble fraction as well as crude Guggulu (Sastri, 1967; Tripathi et al; 1968).
• PE fractions A (petrol-soluble), B (alkali washed neutral portion), and C (Petrol-insoluble) were given to 8-week-old male white leghorn chicks for 2-3 weeks in hypercholesterolemia induced by an atherogenic diet. All fractions lower the serum cholesterol, but fraction A is the most potent, and B is the least potent (Mehta et al; 1968; Mehta & Malhotra, 1970).
• Alcohol extract and two pure fractions (a terpenoid and a steroid) isolated from the PE extract showed that the steroid fraction was highly potent as a hypolipidemic agent lowering the serum cholesterol by 69.3% as well as the c/p ratio. The alcohol extract could lower the cholesterol by 59.2% whereas the terpenoid lowered it by 54.3% (Malhotra et al; 1970).
• The alcohol extract effectively reduced the serum beta-lipoprotein fraction and significantly altered the lipoprotein ratio (Khama et al; 1969).
• The steroidal compound isolated from fraction A of PE extract reduced the lipid content (Viz., Total lipids, cholesterol, TG, and phospholipids) of both hepatic and aortic tissues. The response was dose-dependent and the maximum effect was noted at 10 mg/kg (Malhotra & Ahuja, 1972).
• Fraction A of PE extract effectively lowered serum lipids, cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides in monkeys fed with a cholesterol diet (Das et al., 1973).
• Alcoholic extract (25-50 mg/kg orally), reduced serum cholesterol levels in normal and hyperlipidemic rats and rabbits. Further, a resin fraction, a pure steroid, and fraction F isolated from crude extract showed hypercholesterolemia effect on normal and triton-induced hyperlipidemic rats (Kapoor and Nityanand, 1971; Nityanand & Kapoor, 1971). Other studies include (Nityanand et al: 1973; Dwarakanath & satyavathi, 1970; Malhotra & Ahuja 1971; Malhotra 193; Kuppurajan, 1978; Kotiyal J.P et al; 1979; Nityanand et al; 1980 etc.