Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Pharmaceutical Sciences 1735-403X 27 1 2021 03 18 Boswellic Acids as Promising Leads in Drug Development against Alzheimer’s Disease 14 31 10.34172/PS.2020.25 EN Hossein Haghaei https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9453-0886 Somaieh Soltani https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0102-2960 Seyedrafie Aref Hosseini https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4740-4662 Mohammad Reza Rashidi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9206-9336 Saeed Karima https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8233-4551 Journal Article 10.34172/PS.2020.25 2020 01 09 2020 03 11 Biological activity of Boswellia extract (BE) has been attributed to its main active ingredients; i.e. Boswellic acids (BAs). BE/BAs possess a promising therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative disorders; including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The multifactorial nature of AD pathophysiology necessitates the development of the disease-modifying agents (DMA). Recent multi-targeting approaches for the DMAs development have brought more attention to the plant-derived compounds regarding their better human compatibility because of their biologic origin. This review addresses the current knowledge on the anti-AD activity of BE/BAs based on the available in silico, in vitro, in vivo studies and clinical trials. The contribution of BE/BAs in inflammatory pathways, Tau and β-amyloid proteins, microtubule functions, oxidative stress, cholinesterase and diabetes/insulin pathways involved in AD have been discussed. BAs efficacy in different AD-related pathways has been confirmed in vitro and in vivo. They can be considered as valuable scaffold/lead compounds for multi-targeted DMAs in anti-AD drug discovery and development.