THE USE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AND EXTRACTS THEREOF FOR THE WELL-BEING OF ANIMALS IN VETERINARY MEDICINE AND ZOOTECHNICS

UTILISATION DE PLANTES MEDICINALES ET D'EXTRAITS DE CELLES-CI POUR LE BIEN-ETRE D'ANIMAUX EN MEDECINE VETERINAIRE ET EN ZOOTECHNIE

English Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of the aerial parts of plants of the
Portulaca genus and extracts thereof, in particular Portulaca oleracea, for
the preparation of growth promoters for use in livestock.

French Abstract

La présente invention concerne l'utilisation de parties aériennes de plantes du genre Portulaca et d'extraits de celles-ci, notamment de Portulaca oleracea, pour la préparation de facteurs de croissance destinés au bétail.

Claims

6
CLAIMS
1. The use of parts or extracts of plants of the Portulaca genus for the
preparation of growth promoters for feedstock.
2. The use as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plant of the Portulaca genus
is Portulaca oleracea.
3. The use as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the parts of Portulaca are
the aerial parts.
4. The use as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the extract is a aerial parts
hydro-alcoholic extract.
5. Veterinary or zootechnical compositions comprising parts or extracts of
plants of the Portulaca genus in admixture with suitable carriers.
6. Compositions as claimed in claim 5 comprising aerial parts or extracts
idro-alcholic of the aerial parts of Portulaca oleracea.
7. Feed added with aerial parts or aerial parts extracts of plants of the
Portulaca genus, in particular Portulaca oleracea.

Description

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THE USE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AND EXTRACTS THEREOF FOR
THE WELL BEING OF ANIMALS IN VETERINARY MEDICINE AND
ZOOTECHNICS
The present invention relates to the use of extracts of aerial parts of
plants of the Portulaca genus, in particular Portulaca oleracea, for the
preparation of growth promoters for use in livestock.
TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND
Bacterial antibiotic resistance is ali increasing problem which affects
public health, including the veterinary field.
The use in veterinary medicine of antibiotics that are mostly the same as
or strictly related to those used in human medicine, and the established
practice of use of antibiotics at sub-therapeutical doses as growth promoters
and mass metaphylactic agents, are the main causes of diffusion of acquired
antibiotic resistance by a number of bacterial species responsible for
pathologies in domestic animals and often even in humans. The presence of
antibiotic residues in meat and, indirectly, the selection of antibiotic-
resistant
bacteria, which can transfer the resistance genes to bacteria pathogenic to
humans, can be a hazard to human health.
Approximately 25% of the total antibiotic production is intended for use
in livestock, the 90% of them being used at sub-therapeutical doses for both
the prevention of diseases and the promotion of growth. Antimicrobials have
been added to feed and extensively used in zootechnics since the '50s to
improve productive performances. In swine breeding, for instance, weaning of
piglets is the most delicate step, as the distressing events related to the
transfer
and mixing of different groups of animals and the changes of feed induce
alterations in the intestinal microbial flora of the animal, making it more
susceptible to infections. The use of antibiotics in the prophylaxis of
endemic

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diseases occurring during weaning has lead to a generalized use of antibiotics
which are included in feed for times which can be protracted until the animal
is even 70-80 day old.
As a consequence of antibiotic-resistance emergency, the European
Union has followed a restricted approach concerning the use of antibiotics as
growth promoters, antimicrobial prophylaxis, multi-therapies, mass
medication through feed and water. In particular, EU is withdrawing all
authorizations concerning the use of antibiotics as growth promoters by 2006.
However, the prohibition of use of antibiotics as growth promoters and
prophylactic agents will involve a deterioration of animals health, with an
increase in diarrhoea, weight loss and mortality.
Different approaches exist for reducing the dependency of zootechnics,
more particularly swine breeding, on the use of antibiotics: the choice one is
the development of alternatives acting through the control of bacteria and
promoting the natural reactivity of the animal, thereby inducing an
improvement in health as well as the optimization of performances.
Mandatory characteristics for such alternative solutions are safety of use and
cheapness for producers, and hence for consumers.
Portulaca is a annual herbaceous plant present in all temperate and warm
regions.
Aerial parts of plants of the Portulaca genus have been used for a long
time, as they are or in the form of aqueous or water-ethanol extracts, in
Chinese
traditional medicine for arresting hemorrage of various origin (hemorrhoids,
uterus), and for the treatment of sores, eczema, snake or insect bites.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It has now been found that the administration of parts of plants,
particularly the ground aerial parts or the extracts of the aerial parts of
plants

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of the Portulaca genus, in particular Portulaca oleracea, to livestock, is at
least as much as active as the administration of growth-promoting antibiotics.
Therefore, the present invention relates to compositions for the
veterinary or zootechnical use, comprising as active ingredients aerial parts
ground or extracts of aerial parts of Portulaca, preferably Portulaca
oleracea,
admixed with suitable carriers or in the form of feed supplements.
Said compositions proved capable of promoting growth in livestock, in
particular swine, bovine, ovine and equine, more particularly swine, without
inducing the drawbacks and side effects of growth-promoting antibiotics.
Dosages will depend on a number of factors, such as species, size,
weight and age of the animal. In principle, a typical dosage will range from
0.1 g to 10 g of extract/aerial parts per animal/day.
The extracts usable according to the invention can be prepared by a
process which comprises the repeated extraction of Portulaca oleracea aerial
parts with a solvent, of preferably at room temperature. The solvent used for
the
extraction preferably consists of a hydro-alcoholic ethanol/water 1:1 mixture.
The resulting extracts are combined and concentrated under reduced pressure.
The following examples illustrate the invention in further detail.
EXAMPLE 1: Portulaca oleracea aerial parts extract for the zootechnical
use
Preparation of the extract
1000 g of dry ground aerial parts of Portulaca oleracea are placed in
percolator. The material is covered with a mixture ethanol/water mixture 1:1
v/v
and left at RT for 3 hours. The solvent is then percolated and the material is
covered with a further portion of ethanol/water mixture 1:1 v/v. The procedure
is
repeated 6 times using aboitt 7700 ml of solvent totally. The 6 percolates are
filtered, combined and concentrated under reduced pressure, thereby obtaining
a
dark hygroscopic grindable solid (241 g; yield 24.1% w/w).

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EXAMPLE 2: In vivo test
Experiments were carried out on 120 piglets divided into 4 groups of 30
animals each.
Group 1(control) was treated with standard feed free from additives.
Group 2 (antibiotic) was treated with medicated feed containing 2 g of
apramycin and 1 g of colistin per kg of feed. Group 3 was treated with
standard feed added with 2 g/Kg of Portulaca extract. Group 4 was treated
with standard feed added with 5 g/kg of finely ground Portulaca aerial parts.
All animals were treated during weaning from day 22 to day 41.
The animal well being was evaluated by the total weight increase, the
feed daily intake and the percentage of diarrhoeic animals. Moreover, from
day 41, faeces samples were microbiologically analysed for bacterial counts of
total mesophyte charge, total Coliform and Lactobacilli. All parameters were
evaluated with standard methods known to those skilled in the art.
Results reported in the following Tables prove that the addition to
standard feed of Portulaca in the form of both finely ground aerial parts, and
water-ethanol extract, although being devoid of per se in vitro antibacterial
activity, can be a valuable replacement for antibiotic growth promoters in
weaning foodstock.
Table 1. Piglets weights and Mean Weight Increase (MWI) on day 41.
Treatment Piglets weight (kg) MWI
day 22 da 41
Control 7.02 f 1.2 10.25 1.5 3.22
Antibiotic 7.43 1.3 12.21 1.6 4.78
Portulaca aerial parts 7.12 + 1.1 11.33 1.4 4.21
Portulaca water-ethanol extract 7.30 1.2 11.79 1.3 4.49

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Table 2. Mean daily intake: amount of feed daily intake, expressed in
kg, between days 22 and 41 of treatment.
Treatment kg
Control -0=22
Antibiotic 0.37
Portulaca aerial parts 0.33
Portulaca water-ethanol extract 0.35
5 Table 3. Effect of treatment on diarrhoea onset in the various treated
groups.
Treatment % of animals with diarrhoea
Control 60
Antibiotic 10
Portulaca aerial parts 30
Portulaca water-ethanol extract 20
Table 4. Effect of administration of the tested substances on different
bacterial populations (log Ufc/g) from faeces samples taken on day 41.
Treatment E. Coli CBT Lactobacilli
Antibiotic 6.41 6.47 5.38
Control 8.05 7.55 6.93
Portulaca aerial parts 6.93 6.99 6.91
Portulaca water-ethanol extract 6.50 6.73 6.90