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ABSTRACT
This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of oral administration of Ashwagandha root extract (ARE) in cats subjected to different types of stress. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled veterinary clinical trial was conducted with sixteen healthy pet cats. Each cat was randomly assigned to receive ARE (15 mg/kg body weight) or a placebo and were subjected to four types of stress over a period of one month. No detrimental changes were observed in ALP, ALT, AST, glucose, creatinine, and BUN levels on day 30 with ARE with all values within the physiological range. Additionally, in the ARE-treated group, the protein (p < 0.05) and albumin (p < 0.01) levels were increased significantly, indicating overall improved liver function. Post 30 days ARE treatment, significant modulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) (p < 0.001), superoxide dismutase (SOD) (p < 0.001), glutathione (GSH) (p < 0.01) and catalase (p < 0.001) levels were observed with ARE compared to placebo control group. After 30 days ARE treatment, serum cortisol levels significantly decreased (p < 0.001), indicating strong anti-stress effects. There was a significant decrease in cytokine levels (TNF-α, IFN-γ & IL-10), NFκB and Nrf-2 levels in ARE treated group indicating potent anti-inflammatory effects. Overall, these promising results demonstrate that ARE possesses adaptogenic and anti-inflammatory properties and is safe in felines.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Associate Dean, College of Veterinary Science for the support. The authors are thankful to Ixoreal Biomed. Inc., Los Angeles, CA, USA for providing the gift samples of high concentration Ashwagandha root extract (KSM66).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest pertaining to this research work.
Ethical approval
The study was approved by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) at the College of Veterinary Science, P.V.N.R. Telangana Veterinary University, Hyderabad (30/25/C.V.Sc, Hyderabad, dated 2/7/2022) as per the guidelines of Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA), New Delhi, India.