Use of medicinal plants by veterinary practitioners in Spain: A cross-sectional survey

Thai veterinarians' perceptions of cannabidiol products for dogs with osteoarthritis: a qualitative interview study

Introduction

The global popularity of cannabidiol (CBD) led to its approval for human use in Thailand and potential use in animals. Many studies revealed CBD's efficacy in treating chronic osteoarthritis (OA) in dogs. To facilitate tailored CBD product development for canine OA and ensure market success, this study explores Thai veterinarians' perception of CBD for canine OA.

Methods

In-depth interviews were conducted with experienced veterinarians who treated OA in ≥25% of their canine patients. Interview questions covered treatment, CBD perception, and adoption. Interviews were held from January to March 2023.

Results

Eleven out of twenty invited veterinarians participated in the study. Though all favored non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for OA in dogs, concerns about adverse reactions, including ulcers and renal failure, emerged. CBD was widely known and was perceived positively for pain, inflammation, cancer, and epilepsy. However, half distinguished CBD from marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Ten expressed willingness to prescribe CBD for OA upon robust clinical evidence. Worries centered on product consistency and impurities. Many suggested CBD should be under veterinarians' supervision at first, but this can be relaxing once safety and efficacy are established. CBD products should be chewable tablets, oils, or gelatin capsules with flavors like beef, liver, pork, fish, or seafood.

Conclusion

Though CBD benefits were recognized, knowledge gaps among the participants persisted, warranting robust CBD safety, efficacy, and quality evidence to ensure Thai market success. Comprehensive education, including continuing education for those in practice and incorporating CBD-related topics into the Schools of Veterinary's curriculum, is recommended.

In vitro analysis of quercetin-like compounds from mistletoe Dendrophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq as a potential antiviral agent for Newcastle disease

Background: Recent evidence suggests that some flavonoid compounds obtained from crude methanol extract of mistletoe leaves ( Dendrophthoe pentandra L. Miq), also known as Benalu Duku (BD), have antimicrobial effects. Thus, the plant has the potential to eliminate viruses that may cause outbreaks in chicken farms. This study aimed to prove the in vitro ability of flavonoid compounds, namely quercetin-like compounds (QLCs), to eliminate field viruses, specifically the Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Methods: This research was performed in two stages. An in vitro test was used with a post-test of the control groups designed at a significance of 0.05. BD leaves (5 kg) were extracted using a maceration method with methanol and then separated into hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol fractions. The final extracted products were separated using semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to obtain QLCs. The QLCs were identified and compared with quercetin using HPLC, proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry, and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The activity of QLCs was tested in vitro against the NDV at a virulency titer of 10 -5 Tissue Culture Infectious Dose 50% (TCID50) and in chicken kidney cell culture. Results: Solutions of 0.05% (w/v) QLCs were discovered to have antiviral activity against NDVs, with an average cytopathogenic effect antigenicity at a 10 -5 dilution (p<0.05). Conclusions: QLCs from flavonoids from the leaves of BD have antiviral bioactivity against NDVs and may have the potential to be developed as medicinal compounds for the treatment of other human or animal viral infections.

Antimicrobial Activity of Sempervivum tectorum L. Extract on Pathogenic Bacteria Isolated from Otitis Externa of Dogs

The present study investigated the antimicrobial activity, total phenolic content, and proanthocyanidin concentration of ethanolic extracts from fresh leaves of Sempervivum tectorum L. The extracts were phytochemically analyzed and evaluated for antimicrobial activity. The broth microdilution method was used to assess antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria isolated from ear swabs taken from dogs with otitis externa. Many compounds were present in the ethanolic aqueous extracts, which exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. They showed strong antibacterial activity against standard clinical Gram-positive strains such as S. aureus and Gram-negative strains such as P. aeruginosa. In our study, the obtained quantity of total phenolic compounds in the ethanol:water extract of leaves was 126.17 mg GAE/g. The proanthocyanidin concentration in the tested Sempervivum tectorum L. extracts was 15.39 mg PAC/g material. The high contents of total phenolics and proanthocyanidin indicated that these compounds contribute to antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial activity of the tested S. tectorum L. extracts ranged from 1.47 to 63.75 µg/mL, starting with 1.47 µg/mL and 1.75 µg/mL against S. aureus ATCC 25923 and P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 strains, respectively. Likewise, S. tectorum L. ethanol extract demonstrated a bacteriostatic effect against S. aureus clinical isolate with a median MIC of 23.25 µg/mL and MBC of 37.23 µg/mL; and bactericidal against S. aureus ATCC 25923 with the median MIC of 20.33 µg/mL and MBC of 37.29 µg/mL. In the Gram-negative P. aeruginosa clinical and standard strains, the expressed MIC and MBC values were 24.234 and 20.53 µg/mL for MIC, and 37.30 and 37.02 µg/mL for MBC, respectively.