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Planta Med 2020; 86(18): 1375-1388
DOI: 10.1055/a-1260-3148
Biological and Pharmacological Activity
Original Papers

Effects of a Multicomponent Herbal Extract on the Course of Subclinical Ketosis in Dairy Cows – a Blinded Placebo-controlled Field-study

Manuela Durrer
1   Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health, Division of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland
2   Department of Livestock Science, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland
,
Meike Mevissen
1   Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health, Division of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland
,
Mirjam Holinger
2   Department of Livestock Science, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland
,
Matthias Hamburger 
3   Pharmaceutical Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
,
Sandra Graf-Schiller
4   SaluVet GmbH, Bad Waldsee, Germany
,
Philipp Mayer
4   SaluVet GmbH, Bad Waldsee, Germany
,
Olivier Potterat 
3   Pharmaceutical Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
,
Rupert Bruckmaier
5   Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health, Division of Veterinary Physiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland
,
Michael Walkenhorst
2   Department of Livestock Science, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland
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Abstract

A blinded placebo-controlled multi-center on-farm trial was conducted in dairy cows with subclinical ketosis to investigate effects of a multicomponent herbal extract. Blood ketone levels were measured weekly in early lactating cows from 16 Swiss herds. Cows were subclassified based on their initial blood-β-hydroxybutyrate levels (≥ 1.0 [KET-low, 84 cows] and > 1.2 mmol/L [KET-high, 39 cows]) and randomly distributed to 3 groups treated orally with herbal extract containing Camellia sinensis, Cichcorium intybus, Gentiana lutea, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Taraxacum officinale, Trigonella foenum-graecum, and Zingiber officinale, sodium propionate, or placebo twice a day for 5 days. Milk yield, milk acetone, blood-β-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and glutamate dehydrogenase were analyzed over 2 wk. Linear mixed effect models were used for data analysis. No effects were found for nonesterifed fatty acids, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and glucose. Significantly higher glutamate dehydrogenase (29.71 U/L) values were found in herbal extract-treated animals compared to sodium propionate on day 7 (22.33 U/L). By trend, higher blood-β-hydroxybutyrate levels (1.36 mmol/L) were found in the placebo group of KET-high-cows on day 14 compared to the sodium propionate group (0.91 mmol/L). Milk yields of all treatment groups increased. Milking time and treatment showed a significant interaction for milk acetone: sodium propionate led to an immediate decrease, whereas herbal extracts resulted in a milk acetone decrease from day 7 on, reaching significantly lower milk acetone on day 14 (3.17 mg/L) when compared to placebo (4.89 mg/L). In conclusion, herbal extracts and sodium propionate are both likely to improve subclinical ketosis in dairy cows, however, by different modes of action.

Key words

subclinical ketosis - herbal extract - sodium propionate - dairy cow

Supporting Information

    Comparison of the data obtained in the present study with other controlled treatment studies regarding subclinical ketosis in dairy cows (Table 1S and Fig. 1S) and composition details of the HE (Table 2S) are available as Supporting Information

  • Supporting Information


Publication History

Received: 31 January 2020

Accepted after revision: 04 September 2020

Article published online:
01 October 2020

© 2020. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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