The pharmacological and nutritional significance of plant-derived natural products: An alternative for animal health

Abstract

Interest in the “One Health” concept has increased, following the emergence of critical issues such as resistance of infectious microorganisms and parasites to currently used synthetic antibiotics and control agents. Research is intensifying on fodder plants with high levels of beneficial nutrients and metabolites as a resource to enhance the ability of animals to resist or suppress pathogen and helminth colonisation. The attachment of ticks and the spread of tick-borne diseases may also be affected by the dietary contribution of plant natural products in addition to their effect on animal performance and health status. There is also a growing interest in the traditional use of plants in ethnoveterinary medicine. The shortage of in vivo studies and experiments in animal models is an obstacle that needs to be overcome to confirm the in vitro bioactivities of medicinal plant extracts and isolated compounds to assist in developing novel medicinal remedies.