The effectiveness of olibanum orally disintegrating tablet in the treatment of oral aphthous ulcers: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Background: Boswellia serrata oleo-gum-resin (frankincense; olibanum) has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antimicrobial effects. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of frankincense extract in the treatment of oral aphthous ulcers. Materials and Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, patients with aphthous ulcers were randomly assigned to either experimental (Frankincense extract) or placebo groups to use orally disintegrating tablets (ODT) of frankincense and placebo, respectively, four times a day for 3 days. The size of aphthous ulcers and the pain severity by visual analogue scale were recorded at days 0, 2, and 4 and compared between the groups. Results: Twenty-five patients in each group completed the study. Olibanum extract ODT significantly reduced the ulcer size on the second (P < 0.001) and fourth (P < 0.001) days as well as the pain score on the second (P = 0.002) and fourth (P < 0.001) days of the intervention compared to placebo. Furthermore, at the end of the intervention, the number of patients with complete ulcer healing and pain relief in the experimental group was significantly more than the placebo group (5 vs. 0, P = 0.02; and 11 vs. 0, P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Taking olibanum extract ODTs reduces the ulcer size and pain severity and accelerates the healing process in the oral aphthous lesions.

Evaluation of the efficacy of Echinacea on clinical indices of Erosive Oral Lichen Planus: A randomized double-blind clinical trial.

Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic immune-mediated mucocutaneous disorder, with an unknown etiology. Since, both pain and discomfort are observed in patients with the erosive type, many drugs have been studied to alleviate pain and clinical symptoms. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of systemic Echinacea on clinical indices of OLP. Materials and Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 70 patients with erosive OLP were randomly divided into two groups, and each was treated with Echinacea tablets or placebo, 3 times a day, for 35 days. In addition, betamethasone lotion (0.1%) or nystatin (100,000 units) mouthwash were used by patients. The pain severity (visual analog scale [VAS]), lesion size, and the number of lesions were assessed at baseline and on days 10, 25, and 35 after study initiation. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed by statistical software, and Mann-Whitney test, Wilcoxon test, KaplanMeier, Chi-squared, and paired t-test. Results: The VAS scores in the Echinacea group were significantly reduced at each visit compared to the placebo group (P < 0.001). We observed a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). Conclusion: We showed that Echinacea is an effective and complementary therapy for OLP. Furthermore, in short-term usage, Echinacea is almost completely tolerable.

A Phospholipase-A Activity in Soluble Leishmania Antigens Causes Instability of Liposomes.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the existence of phospholipase-A (PLA) activity in Soluble L. major Antigens (SLA) because of no reports for it so far. Liposomes were used as sensors to evaluate PLA activity. OBJECTIVES: Liposomal SLA consisting of Egg Phosphatidylcholine (EPC) or Sphingomyelin (SM) were prepared by two different methods in different pH or temperatures and characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). METHODS: Lipid hydrolysis led to the disruption of EPC liposomal SLA in both methods but the Film Method (FM) produced more stable liposomes than the Detergent Removal Method (DRM). RESULT: The preparation of EPC liposomal SLA at pH 6 via FM protected liposomes from hydrolysis to some extent for a short time. EPC liposomes but not SM liposomes were disrupted in the presence of SLA. CONCLUSION: Therefore, a phospholipid without ester bond such as SM should be utilized in liposome formulations containing PLA as an encapsulating protein.

Effect of Herbal Echinacea on Recurrent Minor Oral Aphthous Ulcer.

BACKGROUND: The oral aphthous is a common oral ulcer with intense pain and there is no treatment for it, yet. Echinacea is an herbal medicine that moderated the immune system. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Echinacea on the treatment of aphthous ulcer. METHODS: 50 patients with minor aphthous participated in our study. 25 patients take 3 tablets in a day for five weeks (case group) and 25 patients didn't take any tablets (control group). The patients were monitored for one month before taking the tablets for six months. During this period, the number of lesions, complete improvement of ulcers, recurrence rate and intensity of pain were considered in each month. Finally, the Friedman and ANOVA tests used to analyze the obtained data. RESULT: Our study showed a significant difference between a number of lesions during six-month in case and control groups (p>0.001). In this way, we observed that the number of lesions was decreased significantly after six months in the case group. Hence, ANOVA analysis showed a significant decrease between each month for the intensity of pain (p=0.025), complete improvement (p<0.001) and recurrence rate (p=0.026). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we showed that Echinacea tablets as an herbal medicine have positive effects on a number of lesions, intensity of pain, complete improvement and recurrence rate in patients with recurrent minor aphthous ulcers.