Abstract
BackgroundFlaxseed is the most common and rich dietary source of lignans and is an acceptable supply of energy for livestock. Flaxseed lignans are precursors of enterolignans, mainly enterolactone and enterodiol, produced by the rumen and intestinal microbiota of mammals and have many important biological properties as phytoestrogens. Potential food-drug interactions involving flaxseed may be relevant for veterinary therapy, and for the quality and safety of milk and dairy products. Our aim was to investigate a potential food-drug interaction involving flaxseed, to explore whether the inclusion of flaxseed in sheep diet affects concentration of the antimicrobial danofloxacin in milk.ResultsIncreased concentrations of enterodiol and enterolactone were observed in sheep plasma and milk after 2 weeks of flaxseed supplementation (P < 0.05). However, enterolactone and enterodiol conjugates were not detected in milk. Milk danofloxacin pharmacokinetics showed that area under the curve (AUC)0–24, maximum concentration (Cmax) and AUC0–24 milk-to-plasma ratios were reduced by 25–30% in sheep fed flaxseed-enriched diets (P < 0.05). Our results demonstrate, therefore, that flaxseed-enriched diets reduce the amount of danofloxacin in sheep milk and enrich the milk content of lignan-derivatives.ConclusionThese findings highlight an effect of flaxseed-enriched diets on the concentration of antimicrobials in ruminant’s milk, revealing the potential of these modified diets for the control of residues of antimicrobial drugs in milk.
Highlights
Flaxseed is the most common and rich dietary source of lignans and is an acceptable supply of energy for livestock
Plasma and milk levels of enterolignans Enterodiol and enterolactone were identified in plasma and milk (Table 2)
Enterodiol was present in plasma and milk in sheep fed flaxseed, whereas basal levels of enterolactone were present in the groups fed standard diet (Fig. 2)
Summary
Flaxseed is the most common and rich dietary source of lignans and is an acceptable supply of energy for livestock. Flax lignans are important for the veterinary industry since they improve survival of cow embryos [6], they improve ruminal metabolism in goats [7] and they can protect against oxidative stress damage in the mammary gland [8]. Lignans and their derivatives provide many human health benefits against menopausal symptoms, breast and prostate cancers, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis and diabetes [9], with biological activities at nutritionally and physiologically relevant concentrations, even in the nM range [10, 11]. Flaxseed has become an attractive ingredient in human diets specially designed for specific health benefits [12] and has been incorporated in several dietary items including milk and dairy products [13]
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