GB2147805A - Medicated foodstuff - Google Patents

Abstract

Orally administered pharmaceutical compositions for protective and therapeutic treatment of gastro-intestinal infections (eg. diarrhoea), comprise one or more anti-microbially-effective benzyl, alkyl-halophenols and a conventional foodstuff. The compositions are useful for growth promotion in animals. Typical halophenols are 2-halo-4-alkyl benzylpnenols, and non-toxic salts thereof.

Description

SPECIFICATION Medicated foodstuff The present invention is concerned with an antiseptic-foodstuff combination for protective and therapeutic gastro-intestinal antisepsis which, at the same time, has an ergotropic action, in order to prevent infections resulting directly of indirectly therefrom in other localisations, especially pneumonias, particularly in the industrial production of animals.

As is known, young animals in general but especially those which have been prematurely weaned, are particularly susceptible to pathogens. This results in considerable losses due to death, as well as also in more or less seriously occurring specific and multiple diseases of whole groups of animals. The points of colonisation of surfaces of the body and especially in the gastro-intestinal tract with a permanent flora (eubiosis) adapted qualitatively and quantitatively to the domestic animal thereby have an important protective function for the health of the host organism. To this is to be added the influencing of the growth of the animals (augmented weight increase) as a whole by a physiological composition of the various episomatic biotypes.Thus, for example, diarrhoea in weaned piglets in the large scale production of animals gives rise to a retarded weight increase, insufficient utilisation of the feed, relatively high treatment costs and losses of animals. The procedure which is at present conventional in the case of occurences of attacks of diarrhoea consists of a drastic chemotherapy.

However, as is known, a protective use of chemotherapeutic agents, especially of antibiotics, also gives rise to considerable disadvantages, quite apart from the fact that they are non-physiological and expensive.

These disadvantages include, for example, the promotion of the spread of infectious chemotherapeutic resistance, the bringing about of a change in the pathogen under the selection pressure of the chemotherapy, systemic side effects in the domestic animal and problems of residues. The avoidance of the appearance of diseases, on the one hand, and the optimal functioning of the digestive processes with the protection of a flora of the episomatic biotypes advantageous for the host organism by appropriate antiseptic measures, on the other hand, leads, in combination with an improved state of health, to a better increase in body weight, without the above-mentioned disadvantage which arise when using chemotheraputics.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a protective or therapeutic gastro-intestinal antisepsis for the prophylaxis or treatment of infectious diarrhoeal diseases by means of an antiseptic-foodstuff combination with which, in the case of minimal systemic and localised toxicity, a more certain protective or therapeutic and, at the same time, ergotropic action can be achieved. At the same time, infectious diseases in other localisations which are directly or indirectly dependent upon the optimal composition of the episomatic biotypes, especially pneumonia, and the effects thereof, for example the necessary chemotherapy, retarded weight increase, losses of animals and the like are to be prevented.

Thus, according to the present invention, there is provided a medicated foodstuff for protective and therapeutic gastro-intestinal antisepsis, which comprises a mixture of at least one antiseptically-active halogenated alkylbenzyl phenol and a conventional foodstuff substrate.

The medicated foodstuff according to the present invention provides a protective and therapeutic action and, at the same time, is ergotropically effective. Consequently, the use of chemotherapeutics can be avoided.

We have found that a mixture comprising a conventional foodstuff with at least one halogenated alkylbenzlphenol gives a combination with an outstanding protective and therapeutic action and, at the same time, also an ergotropic action.

With the use of the medicated foodstuff according to the present invention, especially under large-scale breeding conditions, the growth of the animals is substantially promoted, the appearance of infectious gastro-intestinal diseases and infectious diseases in other localisations resulting therefrom are substantially prevented or the course of the diseases is considerably milder and animal losses are considerably reduced.

At the same time, the growth and development of the bodies of the animals is distinctly promoted. Afurther advantage of the use of the medicated foodstuff according to the present invention is that, after discontinuation of the use thereof, the ergotropic effect and the good growth and development of the animals is maintained for a comparatively long period of time.

We have found that a large variety of different halogenated alkylbenzylphenols can be used according to the present invention, especially good results having been obtained with 2-chloro-6-methyl-4-benzylphenol and with 2-bromo-6-methyl-4-benzylphenol, as well as with structural analogues thereof, such as 2-bromo-6-ethyl-4-benzylphenol, 2-chloro-6-methyl-4-(4'-tert.-butyl)-benzylphenol, 2-chloro-6-methyl-4-(4'isopropyl)-benzylphenol, 4-chloro-2-methyl-6-(4'-tert.-butyl)-benzylphenol, and 4-chloro-2-ethyl-6-(4'- isopropyl)-benzylphenol, as well as the non-toxic salts thereof.

The amount of halogenated alkylbenzylphenol present in the medicated foodstuff must, of course, be sufficient to give the desired antiseptic effect, good resu Its having being obtained with amounts of from 100 to 1000 ppm. and especially of about 500 ppm.

The following Examples are given for the purpose of illustrating the present invention: Example 1 500 ml. 2-Chloro-6-methyl-4-benzylphenol are dissolved in 2 litres 96% ethanol. The solution is gradually and uniformly mixed with 20 kg. of foodstuff by spraying on with continuous stirring. The premix thus obtained is then thoroughly mixed with a sufficient amount of further foodstuff to give 1 tonne of medicated foodstuff.

Example 2 162 Weaned piglets (experimental group) were given the medicated foodstuff according to Example 1 for 21 days commencing immediately after weaning. Parallel therewith, in the same sty and under the same conditions, there was kept a control group of 324 animals which received the same foodstuff but without the 2-chloro-6-methyl-4-benzylphenol.

All results must be evaluated in comparison with the control group and in conjunction with many years of veterinary and zootechnical experiences which are available in this branch of industrial animal production.

The most important criterion is that the diarrhoeal morbidity in the experimental group is substantially lower than in the case of the control group (see the following Table).

In the experimental group, the administration of chemotherapeutics was not necessary, whereas in the control group, on the 10th, 11th and 12th day, all the animals had to be given chemotherapeutics, as has been usual for many years in such animal production units.

In the experimental group, the daily weight increase was about 50% higher than in the control group. Even after discontinuation of the medicated foodstuff, the experimental animals developed clearly better than the animals in the control group. This applied to the increase of weight and to the general clinical condition.

Example 3 40 Weaned piglets in which, on the tenth day after weaning, severe diarrohoeal diseases arose, were given for 14 days the medicated foodstuff described in Example 1. Even on the third day of treatment, the diarrhoeal symptoms were completely overcome.

Example 4 In the same way as described in Examples 1 and 2, favourable results were obtained when using, as active material, 2-bromo-6-methyl-4-benzylphenol, 2-bromo-6-ethyl-4-benzylphenol, 2-chloro-6-methyl-4-(4'-tert. butyl)-benzylphenol, 2-chloro-6-methyl-4-(4'-isopropyl)-benzylphenol, 4-chloro-2-methyl-6-(4'-teff.-butyl)- benzylphenol, 4-chloro-2-ethyl-6-(4'-isopropyl)-benzyl phenol, as well as the salts thereof.

TABLE Protective and ergo tropic effectiveness of 2-chloro-6-methyl-4-benzylphenol on weaned piglets food intake (g) body weight (kg) increase (g./d.) 1st 2nd 3rd x n 1st n 21st wk. wk. wk. td td experi mental 98 316 495 310 162 7.9 154 10.5 126 group control 104 291 533 313 324 7.7 308 9.5 84 group occurrence of diarrhoea 1st wk. 2nd wk. 3rd wk + ++/+++ + ++/+++ + + ++/+++ experi mental 43 37 80 46 63 29 group control 43 40 97 86 76 25 group wk. = week td = day of treatment + = weak ++/+++ = strong

Claims (4)

1. Medicated foodstuff for protective and therapeutic gastro-intestinal antisepsis, comprising a mixture of at least one antiseptically-effective halogenated alkylbenzylphenol and a conventional foodstuff substrate.

2. Medicated foodstuff according to claim 1, wherein the halogenated alkylbenzylphenol is used as such or in the form of a non-toxic salt.

3. Medicated foodstuff according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the halogenated alkylbenzylphenol used is 2-chloro-6-methyl-4-benzylphenol, 2-bromo-6-methyl-4-benzylphenol, 2-brom-6-ethyl-4-benzylphenol, 2- chloro-6-methyl-4-(4"-tert.-butyl)-benzy phenol, 2-chloro-6-methyl-4-(4'-isopropyl)-benzy phenol, 4-chloro-2- methyl-6-(4'-tert.-butyl)-benzylphenol or 4-chloro-2-ethyl-6-(4'-isopropyl)-benzylphenol as such or in the form of a non-toxic salt.

4. Medicated foodstuff according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described and exemplified.