Pistacia lentiscus, commonly known as mastic tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae, native to the Mediterranean region. This evergreen shrub or small tree is well-known for producing mastic gum, a resin harvested from the tree’s bark. Mastic gum has been used since ancient times for its aromatic, medicinal, and culinary properties.

Botanical Classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Order: Sapindales
• Family: Anacardiaceae
• Genus: Pistacia
• Species: P. lentiscus

Plant Characteristics

Pistacia lentiscus typically grows up to 4-5 meters (13-16 feet) in height. It has dense, leathery leaves that are dark green and aromatic. The tree produces small, inconspicuous flowers and red or black fruits that are edible but not commonly consumed. The most notable feature of the mastic tree is its ability to produce a resinous gum from the bark, which has been used for millennia in various applications.

Chemical Composition and Structure

Mastic gum, obtained from Pistacia lentiscus, contains several key compounds, including:

• Masticadienonic Acid: A major component with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Pistacene: Contributes to the gum’s distinctive aroma and has potential antioxidant properties.
• Alpha-Pinene: Provides a pine-like aroma and has antiseptic properties.
• Beta-Caryophyllene: An anti-inflammatory compound that also contributes to the gum's aromatic profile.

Cultivation

This plant thrives in well-drained, sandy soils and prefers a sunny, Mediterranean climate. It is drought-resistant and can tolerate poor soil conditions. The tree is typically propagated by seeds or cuttings and requires minimal care once established. Mastic gum is harvested by making incisions in the bark, allowing the resin to exude and harden before being collected.

Uses and Benefits

• Aromatic: Mastic gum is used in perfumes and aromatherapy for its unique, pine-like fragrance.

• Medicinal: Mastic gum has been used traditionally to treat gastrointestinal issues, improve oral health, and possess anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It is also used in traditional medicine to promote digestion and treat ulcers.

• Culinary: Mastic gum is used as a flavoring agent in various Mediterranean dishes, including sweets, pastries, and liqueurs.

Applications

• Aromatic: Key ingredient in high-end perfumes and incense for its distinctive scent.

• Medicinal: Used in traditional medicine for its gastrointestinal, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory benefits.

• Culinary: Incorporated into culinary products and flavorings, particularly in Mediterranean cuisine.

Cosmetics. INCI Functions:

Perfuming. Unlike fragrance, which can also contain slightly less pleasant or characteristic odours, the term perfume indicates only very pleasant fragrances. Used for perfumes and aromatic raw materials.

Skin conditioning agent. It is the mainstay of topical skin treatment as it has the function of restoring, increasing or improving skin tolerance to external factors, including melanocyte tolerance. The most important function of the conditioning agent is to prevent skin dehydration, but the subject is rather complex and involves emollients and humectants that can be added in the formulation.

Skin conditioning agent - Emollient. Emollients have the characteristic of enhancing the skin barrier through a source of exogenous lipids that adhere to the skin, improving barrier properties by filling gaps in intercorneocyte clusters to improve hydration while protecting against inflammation. In practice, they have the ability to create a barrier that prevents transepidermal water loss.  Emollients are described as degreasing or refreshing additives that improve the lipid content of the upper layers of the skin by preventing degreasing and drying of the skin. The problem with emollients is that many have a strong lipophilic character and are identified as occlusive ingredients; they are oily and fatty materials that remain on the skin surface and reduce transepidermal water loss. In cosmetics, emollients and moisturisers are often considered synonymous with humectants and occlusives.

CAS   90082-82-9   61789-92-2

EC number   290-174-6   263-098-6

Environmental and Safety Considerations

Pistacia lentiscus is generally safe for its various applications. However, care should be taken to avoid potential allergic reactions or skin irritation from the resin. Sustainable harvesting practices should be followed to ensure the health and longevity of mastic trees.

References__________________________________________________________________________

Floris S, Di Petrillo A, Pintus F, Delogu GL. Pistacia lentiscus: Phytochemistry and Antidiabetic Properties. Nutrients. 2024 May 27;16(11):1638. doi: 10.3390/nu16111638. PMID: 38892571; PMCID: PMC11174566.

Abstract. Pistacia lentiscus L. (P. lentiscus) is an evergreen shrub (Anacardiaceae family) primarily found in the Mediterranean region. The plant has been thoroughly characterized, resulting in a high concentration of bioactive compounds as flavonoids and phenolics. Moreover, P. lentiscus was revealed to possess a great nutritional and industrial importance because of its variety of biological activities, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic and antioxidant properties. Many of its beneficial health properties and applications date back to antiquity, and the European Medicines Agency officially acknowledged it as an herbal medicinal product. Indeed, it is widely employed in conventional medicine to treat several diseases, including type 2 diabetes (T2D). On this basis, this review aims to summarize and describe the chemical composition of different parts of the plant and highlight the potential of P. lentiscus, focusing on its antidiabetic activities. The plant kingdom is drawing increasing attention because of its complexity of natural molecules in the research of novel bioactive compounds for drug development. In this context, P. lentiscus demonstrated several in vitro and in vivo antidiabetic effects, acting upon many therapeutic T2D targets. Therefore, the information available in this review highlighted the multitarget effects of P. lentiscus and its great potential in T2D treatment.

Soulaidopoulos S, Tsiogka A, Chrysohoou C, Lazarou E, Aznaouridis K, Doundoulakis I, Tyrovola D, Tousoulis D, Tsioufis K, Vlachopoulos C, Lazaros G. Overview of Chios Mastic Gum (Pistacia lentiscus) Effects on Human Health. Nutrients. 2022 Jan 28;14(3):590. doi: 10.3390/nu14030590. 

Abstract. Despite the remarkable development of the medical industry in the current era, herbal products with therapeutic potentials arise as attractive alternative treatments. Consequently, Chios mastiha, a natural, aromatic resin obtained from the trunk and brunches of the mastic tree, has recently gained increasing scientific interest due to its multiple beneficial actions. Chios mastiha is being exclusively produced on the southern part of Chios, a Greek island situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and its therapeutic properties have been known since Greek antiquity. There is now substantial evidence to suggest that mastiha demonstrates a plethora of favorable effects, mainly attributed to the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties of its components. The main use of mastiha nowadays, however, is for the production of natural chewing gum, although an approval by the European Medicines Agency for mild dyspeptic disorders and for inflammations of the skin has been given. The aim of this article is to summarize the most important data about the therapeutic actions of Chios mastiha and discuss future fields for its medical application.

Hadaya O, Bransi-Nicola R, Shalev Y, Azaizeh H, Roth Z, Muklada H, Deutch T, Landau SY, Argov-Argaman N. Pistacia lentiscus extract enhances mammary epithelial cells' productivity by modulating their oxidative status. Sci Rep. 2020 Dec 2;10(1):20985. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-78065-z. PMID: 33268807; PMCID: PMC7710751.

Abstract. We assessed the potential of phenolic compounds from Pistacia lentiscus (lentisk) to enhance production of milk constituents in bovine mammary epithelial cells (MEC). MEC were exposed to 0 (control), 1 or 10 ppm of polyphenols from lentisk ethanolic extract (PLEE) for 24 h. PLEE were absorbed by the MEC plasma membrane, but also penetrated the cell to accumulate in and around the nucleus. PLEE increased triglyceride content in the cell and its secretion to the medium, and significantly increased intracellular lipid droplet diameter. Compared to control, PLEE increased dose-dependently the lactose synthesis, secretion of whey proteins, and contents of casein. To evaluate mitochondrial activity under pro-oxidant load, MEC were preincubated with PLEE and exposed for 2 h to H2O2. Exposure to H2O2 increased the proportion of cells with impaired mitochondrial membrane potential twofold in controls, but not in PLEE-pre-treated cells. Accordingly, proton leakage was markedly decreased by PLEE, and coupling efficiency between the respiratory chain and ATP production was significantly enhanced. Thus, lentisk polyphenols divert energy to production of milk fat, protein and lactose, with less energy directed to cellular damage control; alternatively, PLEE enables MEC to maintain energy and oxidative status under extreme metabolic rate required for milk production and secretion, and reduces the limitation on energy required to support production.

Elloumi W, Maalej A, Ortiz S, Michel S, Chamkha M, Boutefnouchet S, Sayadi S. Pistacia lentiscus L. Distilled Leaves as a Potential Cosmeceutical Ingredient: Phytochemical Characterization, Transdermal Diffusion, and Anti-Elastase and Anti-Tyrosinase Activities. Molecules. 2022 Jan 27;27(3):855. doi: 10.3390/molecules27030855. PMID: 35164116; PMCID: PMC8838631.

Abstract. The present work was performed to investigate the phenolic composition of P. lentiscus L. distilled leaves (PDL) and examine its potential against certain key enzymes related to skin aging. High-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and various separation procedures combined with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and MS analysis were performed to isolate and identify compounds present in the ethyl acetate extract (EAE) of PDL. A high amount of flavonol glycoside was detected in EAE. Indeed, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (FC), myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside (FM2), and kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside (FB2) were isolated from EAE, and are present in high quantities of 10.47 ± 0.26, 12.17 ± 0.74, and 4.53 ± 0.59 mg/g dry weight, respectively. A transdermal diffusion study was carried out to determine the EAE-molecules that may transmit the cutaneous barrier and showed that FM2 transmits the membrane barrier with a high amount followed by FC. EAE, FM2, and FC were tested against tyrosinase and elastase enzymes. Moreover, intracellular tyrosinase inhibition and cytotoxicity on skin melanoma cells (B16) were evaluated. The results indicated that EAE, FC, and FM2 have important inhibitory activities compared to the well-known standards, at non-cytotoxic concentrations. Therefore, they could be excellent agents for treating skin pigmentation and elasticity problems.

Bouguellid G, Debbache-Benaida N, Atmani-Kilani D, Russo C, Lavorgna M, Piscitelli C, Ayouni K, Berboucha-Rahmani M, Isidori M, Atmani D. Pistacia lentiscus L. fruits showed promising antimutagenic and antigenotoxic activity using both in-vitro and in-vivo test systems. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2022 Aug 3;85(15):603-621. doi: 10.1080/15287394.2022.2057885. 

Abstract. Pistacia lentiscus L. is one of the most popular medicinal plants attributed to its beneficial properties on human health. However, few toxicogenetic studies have been carried out. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the potential genotoxic/antigenotoxic and mutagenic/antimutagenic properties of oil, ethyl acetate and ethanolic extracts of P. lentiscus L. fruits using in vitro the Ames and Umu assays, as well as in vivo micronucleus (MN) test. Extracts did not exert any significant mutagenic/genotoxic effects but provided protection against standard mutagenic and genotoxic agents including 2 nitrofluorene (2-NF) at 2.5 and 5 µg/ml; sodium azide at 5 and 10 µg/ml; 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) at 25 and 50 μg/ml; cyclophosphamide (CP) at 50 and 100 μg/ml; 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO) at 0.05 µg/ml and 2-amino-anthracene (AA) at 0.2 µg/ml. Further, cytotoxicity and selectivity were examined on human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2), and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines as well as a human normal-like fibroblast cell line (TelCOFS02MA) using MTT assay. Among all extracts, PF1 (ethanolic) showed the most significant selectivity index (SI) (HepG2:11.98; MCF7:4.83), which led to further investigations using an animal model. Oral administration of PF1 (125-1000 mg/kg b.w.) significantly decreased the number of micronucleated cells in CP -initiated (50 mg/kg b.w.) mice, while the number of micronucleated reticulocytes (MNRET), micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCE) or mitotic index (MI) were not markedly affected. Further, PF1 significantly enhanced catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the livers and kidneys of these animals. The obtained results indicated the beneficial properties of P. lentiscus L. fruits for use in therapy against harmful effects of genotoxic and mutagenic agents. However, while promising it should be noted that the obtained results are preliminary and need to be confirmed prior to therapeutic use.