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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1491989
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring Plant-Based Therapies in Veterinary Medicine View all 3 articles

The role of Ashwagandha in modulating gut parameters in dogs: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled

Provisionally accepted
Kala Kumar Bharani Kala Kumar Bharani 1*Ashok Kumar Devarasetti Ashok Kumar Devarasetti 1Rajendar Bobbili Rajendar Bobbili 1Amit Khurana Amit Khurana 1Donga Durga Veera Hanuman Donga Durga Veera Hanuman 1Roupesh Gudepu Roupesh Gudepu 2Swapna Guda Swapna Guda 1
  • 1 College of Veterinary Science, P.V. Narsimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University, Hyderabad, India
  • 2 Nagpur Veterinary College, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study explored the role of Withania somnifera/Ashwagandha root extract (ARE) on important gut-microbiome parameters in healthy geriatric dogs. We hypothesized that ARE may promote a healthy gut by virtue of its adaptogenic and anti-inflammatory effects and improve vital parameters for healthy ageing. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in Telangana, India. Twelve healthy geriatric Beagle dogs aged 12-15 years were enrolled. The dogs were divided into two groups to receive ARE (15 mg/kg, once daily, orally, for 2 months) or a placebo control. Various parameters, including serum hematology, biochemical markers, stool parameters, and gut-microbiome parameters were assessed. The erythrocyte counts and hemoglobin levels were significantly increased with ARE (p<0.01 and p<0.001). Moreover, significant decrease in important serum liver biomarkers (ALT, AST; p<0.01 & p<0.001 at day 60) was observed in ARE treated dogs compared to the placebo control group. In addition, the levels of L-citrulline were significantly modulated by ARE intervention, whereas the intervention did not affect I-ALP, lactate and CPS. Interestingly, faecal score reduced significantly with ARE (p<0.001) while the fecal pH remained unaltered. Compared to the baseline, ARE significantly decreased two microbial metabolites propionic acid and total SCFA levels after 60 days intervention whereas butyrate and acetic acid levels remained unchanged in the fecal samples. In summary, these findings suggest that ARE has gut-health promoting benefits in healthy geriatric dogs by improving hematological, biochemical profiles, improving the levels of L-citrulline, propionic acid and SCFA thus, reducing age-related changes, by modulating the microbiome and the associated metabolites.

    Keywords: Adaptogen, Aging-related changes, Healthy gut, microbiome, Ashwagandha Root Extract, Geriatric dogs

    Received: 05 Sep 2024; Accepted: 20 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Bharani, Devarasetti, Bobbili, Khurana, Veera Hanuman, Gudepu and Guda. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Kala Kumar Bharani, College of Veterinary Science, P.V. Narsimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University, Hyderabad, India

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.