Abstract
Tropaeolum majus L. is widely known as a medicinal plant in human medicine. It belongs to the Tropaeolaceae which contains mustard oil glycosides like cruciferous plants. In the case of T. majus, the intact glucosinolate glucotropaeolin showed no biological activity, but their degradation products, the isothiocyanates, did. The substances are thought to be enriched in the urinary bladder and the lungs, the active sites to develop their antimicrobial effectiveness. In animal nutrition these effects are of interest in sow management and piglet rearing. Therefore, the kinetics of benzyl-isothiocyanat (BITC) in plasma and the excretion with pig urine in response to nasturtium supplementation at different dosing regimens and galenic forms were examined. Four different groups with catheterized pigs were studied. The animals received the T. majus in different dosages (2.3, 6.9 and 13.4 mg GTL/kg BW) and different galenic forms (enteric coated tablets, pulverized tablets and powder) admixed to the feed ration as single bolus to the morning feeding. Blood and urine samples were collected within 24 h after nasturtium intake and analyzed for free BITC. The results indicated that the enteric coating was not effective in animal feeding. The concentration of BITC in tablet fed pigs was lower compared to animals fed powder or pulverized tablets. The bio-availability of the tablets was only 45% within 24 h relative to pulverized tablets. Nevertheless, the tablets could have some advantages in terms of the handling, the stability of the active substance and the dosing. Furthermore, it could be shown that all dosages yielded concentrations in urine and plasma, which can be considered to have an antimicrobial effect.
Highlights
Glucosinolates are mainly present in cruciferous plants, and in Tropaeolaceae such as Tropaeolum majus L. which has been well known for its healing effects since the time of the Incas [1] [2]
The results showed that the maximum of BITC metabolites in plasma were detected within 1.5 h, which is in accordance to the findings of the present investigation
The current investigation in which pigs were supplemented with Tropaeolum majus L. in different dosages and galenic forms showed that the encapsulation of the plant material was not necessary to increase BITC concentrations in the urine
Summary
Glucosinolates are mainly present in cruciferous plants, and in Tropaeolaceae such as Tropaeolum majus L. which has been well known for its healing effects since the time of the Incas [1] [2]. ITC are released when the plant material is physically damaged by external influences, such as chewing or cutting. This physical damage activates the enzyme myrosinase which hydrolyses the glucosinolates to the ITC [2]-[5]. The wide spectrum of the medicinal activity of T. majus ranges from antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal to cancer preventing properties [5]-[8]. In human medicine T. majus is especially applied to diseases of the respiratory and the urinary tract [9]. The antiviral activity to influenza infections in humans is of interest [10]
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