Horses for courses for Bioeffectives

Screening trials of BioProspect's [ASX: BPO] Bioeffectives set of compounds have shown promising results in reducing the effects of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS).

Bioeffectives are a set of complex plant extracts sourced from pine needles and other coniferous plants. They promise unique anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-oxidant characteristics.

The products were recently tested at the Albidayer Stud in Sharjah, UAE, an internationally renowned breeder of horses with Arabian bloodstock.

All effected horses tested had stomach ulcer levels reduced over the trial period, and no horses experienced any adverse or anaphylactic reactions to the treatment.

According to BioProspect, the Bioeffectives were shown to be as effective as current synthetic products, and the horses willingly took the dosage, even appearing to enjoy the taste.

BioProspect will now expand trials of the treatment, and is searching for potential collaborators such as veterinary hospitals to help conduct the trial.

The Bioeffectives range also shows potential as a replacement for the use of preventative antibiotics in poultry feed, the company said.

Poultry bred for food are often given antibiotics in an effort to reduce illness and help the birds grow larger.

Because animal and human antibiotics are often similar, this can lead to strains of bacteria that are resistant to the use of human antibiotics.

But according to trials using BioProspect as a chicken feed supplement, the natural compounds developed from coniferous plants showed similar results when compared to a group treated using preventative antibiotics.

The company said the compounds have no drug resistance usage or direct toxicity to the birds or humans that consume them.