Ruiz-Cano Domingo, Sánchez-Carrasco Ginés, El-Mihyaoui Amina, B Arnao Marino
Alinatur Pet Food, S.L., Pol. Ind. Saprelorca, Lorca, 30817 Murcia, Spain.
Department of Plant Biology (Plant Physiology), Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Aug 16;12(16):2089. doi: 10.3390/ani12162089.
The use of nutraceuticals or functional ingredients is increasingly widespread in human food; their use is also widespread in animal feed. These natural compounds generally come from plant materials and comprise a wide range of substances of a very diverse chemical nature. In animals, these compounds, so-called phytogenics, are used to obtain improvements in feed production/stability and also as functional components with repercussions on animal health. Along with polyphenols, isoprenoid compounds represent a family of substances with wide applications in therapy and pet nutrition. Essential oils (EOs) are a group of complex substances with fat-soluble nature that are widely used. Melatonin is an indolic amine present in all living with amphiphilic nature. In this work, we present a review of the most relevant phytogenics (polyphenol, isoprenoid, and alkaloid compounds), their characteristics, and possible uses as nutraceuticals in dogs, with special emphasis on EOs and their regulatory aspects, applied in foods and topically. Additionally, a presentation of the importance of the use of melatonin in dogs is developed, giving physiological and practical aspects about its use in dog feeding and also in topical application, with examples and future projections. This review points to the combination of EOs and melatonin in food supplements and in the topical application as an innovative product and shows excellent perspectives aimed at addressing dysfunctions in pets, such as the treatment of stress and anxiety, sleep disorders, alopecia, and hair growth problems, among others.
营养保健品或功能性成分在人类食品中的使用越来越广泛；它们在动物饲料中的使用也很普遍。这些天然化合物通常来自植物材料，包含多种化学性质非常不同的物质。在动物中，这些所谓的植物源化合物被用于提高饲料产量/稳定性，也作为对动物健康有影响的功能性成分。除了多酚类，类异戊二烯化合物是一类在治疗和宠物营养中有广泛应用的物质。精油（EOs）是一组具有脂溶性的复杂物质，被广泛使用。褪黑素是一种存在于所有生物中的具有两亲性的吲哚胺。在这项工作中，我们综述了最相关的植物源化合物（多酚、类异戊二烯和生物碱化合物）、它们的特性以及作为犬类营养保健品的可能用途，特别强调了精油及其在食品和局部应用中的监管方面。此外，还阐述了褪黑素在犬类中的使用重要性，给出了其在犬类喂养和局部应用中的生理和实际方面的情况，并举例和进行了未来展望。本综述指出，精油和褪黑素在食品补充剂和局部应用中的结合作为一种创新产品，对于解决宠物功能障碍，如应激和焦虑的治疗、睡眠障碍、脱发和毛发生长问题等，具有极好的前景。
