Macedonian Veterinary Review

Original Scientific Article

Therapeutic effect of herbal-based drug on severe sepsis in calves: an innovative immunomodulatory and antiinflammatory strategy in herd medicine

Masoomeh Heidari Sureshjani

Marzieh Mokhber Dezfouli

Zohre Eftekhari *

Samad Lotfollahzadeh

Hesam-aldin Akbarein

Mac Vet Rev 2025; 48 (1): 87 - 99

10.2478/macvetrev-2025-0018

Received: 20 July 2024

Received in revised form: 19 January 2025

Accepted: 20 January 2025

Available Online First: 05 March 2025

Published on: 15 March 2025

Correspondence: Zohre Eftekhari, z_eftekhari@pasteur.ac.ir

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Abstract

Septicemia is a significant threat to newborn calves, often due to inadequate colostrum intake in the first day of life. The study aimed to assess the effects of a newly developed herbal formulation on septicemia induced by Escherichia coli strain O111:H8. Ten Holstein-Friesian calves aged 8-10 days were divided into two groups. Experimental septicemia was induced for all calves (n=10). The treatment group (n=5) received a herbal formulation containing extracts from Rosa canina, Urtica dioica, Tanacetum vulgare, selenium, flavonoids, and carotenes, in addition to antibiotics. The control group (n=5) received a placebo (5% dextrose) along with antibiotics for five days. The animals were monitored for 14 days. Blood samples were analyzed for cytokines, cardiac enzymes, renal function, and total antioxidant capacity before and after treatment. The treatment group had non-significantly higher CD4⁺ counts compared to the control. The serum level of IL-6 increased after treatment, with a considerable difference between the groups at 72 h (p=0.0014). The herbal formulation positively impacted renal and cardiac function evidenced by decreased cardiac troponin I levels and increased total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels changed significantly over time (p<0.05), with a positive correlation between ECG changes and peak LDH levels (p<0.05). The increased cytokines beside ameliorative effects on heart and kidney functions suggest that the herbal drug may possess immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties that aid in managing the inflammatory response during sepsis. These findings support the use of this herbal-based drug as an adjunctive treatment in veterinary practices for managing septicemia in calves.

Keywords: calves, septicemia, Rosa canina, Urtica dioica, Tanacetum vulgare

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© 2025 Sureshjani M.H. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declared that they have no potential lict of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Citation Information

Macedonian Veterinary Review. Volume 48, Issue 1, Pages 87-99, e-ISSN 1857-7415, p-ISSN 1409-7621, DOI: 10.2478/macvetrev-2025-0018