Special Issue "Nutraceuticals, Phytonutrients, and Phytotherapy for Improvement of Animal Health and Welfare"
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.
Special Issue Editor
Interests: veterinary physiology; endocrinology; reproductive physiology and biotechnology; animal welfare; oxidative stress
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Nutraceuticals, phytonutrients, and phytotherapeutics are assuming an important position in the veterinary field as tools that support conventional medicine for the holistic management of animal welfare and health. Today, the clinically relevant efficacy of nutraceuticals and dietary supplements has led to the concept of “nutritional medicine”. Many types of scientific research and clinical experience have been able to ascertain and demonstrate how the administration of nutrients and other substances of natural origin together with changes in the diet can treat specific deficiencies, treat particular symptoms, and prevent or delay the onset of certain chronic diseases often associated with inflammatory states or oxidative stress. Alongside the issue of effectiveness, the “safety” profile in the use of these substances, many of plant origin, is assuming great importance. The legislation is still incomplete for many points, so it is appropriate to expand the topic with new evidence with an irrefutable scientific basis. For this issue, scientific contributions regarding studies on animals of veterinary interest will be welcome. In particular, those relating to nutritional medicine; analyzing the integrated mechanisms activated by nutraceuticals, phytotherapy, and phytonutrients in the control of the maintenance and/or restoration of cellular and systemic homeostasis; investigating potential biotechnological applications; and evaluating the behavioral responses and welfare statuses of animals included in studies will be of interest. Enriching this issue with qualified contributions will be very important to, above all, fill the scientific gaps and also to provide reliable indications for the formulation of the “nutritional claims” required by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for food authorized for animals with particular beneficial nutritional properties.
Dr. Francesca Ciani
Guest Editor
Keywords
- animal health
- animal physiology
- animal behavior
- animal welfare
- nutraceuticals
- phytonutrients
- phytotherapy
- functional food
- antioxidants
- free radicals
- biotechnology
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Effects of functional feeds enriched with bioactive molecules extracted from OleaEuropea on the plasma acid profile of lactating Holstein cows
Authors: Armando Zarrelli
Affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze chimiche - VIA CINTIA - COMPLESSO MONTE SANT'ANGELO, 21
Abstract: In this work. the effects of diets enriched with bioactive compounds on plasma fatty acid composition in lactating Friesian cows are evaluated. The daily ration was supplemented with an Olea Europea extract mainly composed of hydroxytyrosol, verbascoside, tyrosol, molecules with nutraceutical and functional action.The effects were evaluated on lactating cows at first. second and third calving for an experimental period of 2 months. For the evaluation of the plasma fatty acid profile, blood samples were taken every two weeks and analysed by Gas Chromatography. The standard diet was supplemented with a water-soluble natural olive extract powder "Phenofeed Dry" (PhenoFarm). and the chemicalnutritional composition of the feed was evaluated by AOAC and Nir System analysis, the total polyphenol content by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay and the antioxidant power of the standard feed.enriched feed and pure by the DPPH (2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method and the bioactive molecules of the Phenofeed extract were characterised by HPLC-UV. The results showed that the supplemented diet influenced the plasma concentration of individual fatty acids such as linoleic, palmitic and stearic and the total content of SFA, MUFA and PUFA: there was a constant maintenance of SFA and MUFA levels and a reduction in PUFA levels (p 0.001) during treatment. The plasma fatty acid profile of cows does not vary between calving orders, but is probably influenced by the nutritional content of the ration and the functional action of the added polyphenols. It is known that during lactation in this breed the variation in the plasma PUFA acid profile is physiological, however the supplemented diet contributed to keeping the ratio between Omega 3 and Omega 6 constant, with an increase in Omega 6 compared to Omega 3The aim of the study is to develop fiunctional feeds for lactating cows by integrating the feed ration with bioactive molecules extracted from the processing waste of the olive-oil industry in order to limit the physiological stress of cows during lactation.
Title: Dietary Polyphenols from Olive Mill Waste Waters for rabbits: Expression of Metabolic, Inflammatory and Apoptotic Effectors in Liver
Authors: Dr.ssa Margherita Maranesi
Affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria via San Costanzo, 4 06126 Perugia
Abstract: Abstract: Plant processing for the production of food or non-food products generates a wide range of by-products and residues rich in biological active compounds including polyphenols, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. The concentration of by-products polyphenols is sometimes higher compared to original raw material as in the case of olive mill waste water (OMWW), an olive oil production by-product. Polyphenols are secondary bioactive molecules that have been demonstrated to regulate the expression of specific inflammatory genes, transcriptional factors, pro/anti-apoptotic molecules that modulate different signaling pathways essential for cell health status and homeostasis. Liver has a key role in the maintenance and regulation of homeostasis and to respond to dietary changes maintaining nutritional and physiological states. In this study a nutrigenomic approach that highlights the relationship between diet, gene expression and modulation of biological processes has been carried out through quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) evaluating expression of target genes (AGER, BAX, COX2, IL1B, PPARA, PPARG, SIRT1, TNFA) on New Zealand rabbits liver fed with a standard diet (n=10 animals) or the same diet supplemented with OMWW (POL group; n=10 animals). Results showed a down-regulation of SIRT1, TNFA, AGER, BAX and PPARA expression levels in POL group respect to control group (CTRL). These results are a first step toward the prevention of oxidative stress damages, through OMWW diet supplementation, in food producing animals.