Studies: ANTI-ATHEROGENIC ACTIVITY OF CHIOS MASTIC

In short: Several studies have investigated whether Chios mastic affects LDL oxidation, cholesterol and markers related to atherosclerosis — in the laboratory, in animals and in some human studies. This page summarises that research, with citations.

Selected studies

Loizou et al. (2009) — endothelial cells (in vitro)

In human aortic endothelial cells, mastic neutral extract and the phytosterol tirucallol inhibited the expression of adhesion molecules (VCAM-1 and ICAM-1), reduced the binding of monocytes, and weakened NF-κB phosphorylation — mechanisms relevant to early vascular changes.

Vallianou & Hadzopoulou-Cladaras (2016) — liver cells (in vitro)

Camphene, a constituent of mastic, inhibited the synthesis of cholesterol and triglycerides in HepG2 liver cells in a concentration-dependent way (up to 39% for cholesterol; ~34% lower triglycerides), acting via SREBP-1/MTP — a different mechanism from statins.

Vallianou et al. (2011) — rats

Mastic essential oil reduced serum cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides in rats; the effect was linked to camphene and appeared independent of HMG-CoA reductase (the statin target).

Andreadou et al. (2016) — rabbits

Oral mastic extracts reduced infarct size in normal-fed rabbits and showed antiatheromatic and lipid-lowering activity in cholesterol-fed rabbits (with effects on total cholesterol).

Triantafyllou et al. (2007) — human study

In 133 people over 50, a high-dose group (5 g mastic powder/day) showed reductions in total cholesterol, LDL and the total-cholesterol/HDL ratio; a low-dose group showed lower glucose in men.

Kartalis et al. (2015) — human pilot study

In 156 healthy volunteers over 8 weeks, crude mastic was associated with lower total cholesterol and fasting glucose, with a stronger effect in overweight and obese participants (BMI>25) and no reported gastrointestinal, liver or renal side effects.

Additional finding — IBD cohort (Papada et al., 2018)

In patients with inflammatory bowel disease (who carry higher oxidative stress and cardiovascular risk), markers of oxidised LDL (oxLDL, oxLDL/HDL, oxLDL/LDL) decreased with mastic supplementation.

References

37. Loizou S. et al. (2009). Chios mastic gum extract and isolated phytosterol tirucallol exhibit anti-inflammatory activity in human aortic endothelial cells. Exp Biol Med., 234: 553–561.
38. Vallianou I., Hadzopoulou-Cladaras M. (2016). Camphene, a plant-derived monoterpene, exerts its hypolipidemic effect by affecting SREBP-1 and MTP expression. PLoS One, 11(1): e0147117.
39. Vallianou I. et al. (2011). Camphene, a plant-derived monoterpene, reduces plasma cholesterol and triglycerides in hyperlipidemic rats independently of HMG-CoA reductase activity. PLoS One, 6(11): e20516.
40. Andreadou I. et al. (2016). Pistacia lentiscus L. reduces the infarct size… and possesses antiatheromatic and hypolipidemic activity in cholesterol-fed rabbits. Phytomedicine, 23(11): 1220–1226.
41. Triantafyllou A. et al. (2007). Chios mastic gum modulates serum biochemical parameters in a human population. J Ethnopharmacol., 111(1): 43–49.
42. Kartalis A. et al. (2015). Effects of Chios mastic gum on cholesterol and glucose levels of healthy volunteers (Chios-Mastic). Eur J Prev Cardiol.
43. Papada E. et al. (2018). Antioxidative efficacy of a Pistacia lentiscus supplement… in inflammatory bowel disease. Nutrients, 10(11): 1779.