WO2013024067A1

WO2013024067A1 - Use of antioxidants for improving animal health

Info

Publication number: WO2013024067A1
Application number: PCT/EP2012/065806
Authority: WO
Inventors: Elke VON HEIMENDAHL; Frank Menn; Antje Holthausen; Christpoh HUTTER
Original assignee: Lohmann Animal Health Gmbh
Priority date: 2011-08-12
Filing date: 2012-08-13
Publication date: 2013-02-21
Also published as: DE102011052687A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a new use of antioxidants for improving animal health. In particular, as a result of using antioxidants and also substances with an antioxidative effect, an increase or improvement in the endogenous radical defence system, a reduction in inflammatory processes and/or a prevention of and/or reduction in fertility problems is achieved.

Description

USE OF ANTIOXIDANTS TO IMPROVE THE

ANIMAL HEALTH

The invention relates to a new use of antioxidants for improving animal health. In particular, an increase or improvement of the endogenous radical defense system, a reduction of inflammatory processes and / or a prevention and / or reduction of fertility problems is achieved by the use of antioxidants and antioxidant substances. In recent decades, the need for food has increased worldwide. As a result, there was an intensification of production, especially in the area of meat and milk production. The increased number of animals, however, also brings problems. Infections can spread more easily and affect a variety of consumers more quickly. Especially in the field of high-performing animals, it is important to avoid infections or to reduce the spread of diseases quickly. For this purpose, prophylactic efforts are made, which focus primarily on the hygiene in the farms.

Dangerous pathogens of diseases include in particular bacteria. Diseases caused by bacteria and endangering livestock, in particular in the dairy industry e.g. Mastitis, phlegmitis and metritis. These are one of the main causes of losses in the dairy industry.

Conventional treatment is usually by administration of antibiotics. The administration of antibiotics also resulted in an increase in the weight gain. This effect is not only due to a generally improved state of health of the animals, but also to a better use of nutrients and feed energy. In addition to the relatively high costs of the active ingredient and the risk of developing new, antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, further disadvantages are to be noted, such as e.g. the retention of antibiotic residues in milk and meat, and the resulting uptake into the human food chain.

In order to avoid the disadvantages of a treatment with antibiotics, for example, DE 00001971 15952 A1 has made available a method and an apparatus for use therein in which ozone is injected through a teat opening of a breast into the interior of the breast. A disadvantage of this method, however, is that the treatment of each farm animal is required individually. Taking in nutrients would be much easier.

To prevent the disease of livestock and the spread of disease, antibiotics were fed for many years as a precaution, before the onset of disease symptoms.

Within the European Union, antibiotics have been withdrawn in the European Union as prophylaxis in feed.

For the prevention of mastitis, e.g. Antiseptic emulsions or disinfectants are proposed, with which the udder of the dairy cattle is treated. In DE 1 1 2008 003749 T5, e.g. an antiseptic composition comprising from 10 to 50% by volume of lemongrass oil. Also, compared to such methods in which an application of the active ingredients to the udder is required, a dietary intake of active ingredients would be a simpler and less expensive solution.

In order to reduce inflammatory processes, in particular in older domestic animals, DE 000060217319 T2 proposes the use of a prebiotic which was produced from an oligosaccharide. However, a reduction in inflammatory processes was suggested only by the reduced expression of IL-6 mRNA peripheral blood immunocytes. According to the teachings of US Pat. No. 7,910,604, a mixture of at least two antioxidants, one of which is a quinoline compound, is added to the feed to prevent oxidation of the fats and lipids contained in the feed, even after feeding to ruminants. It is thought that this could improve the antioxidant status of ruminants.

Feed additives with antioxidant effects are also known from DE 600 30 253 T2, US Pat. No. 6,156,355, EP 1 392 131 B1, WO 01/58271 A1, WO 2004/091307 A2 and CA 26 183 80 A1. The human and veterinary use of antioxidant compositions is further described in DE 696 17 945 T2, DE 60 2004 013 441 T2, WO 2004/1 12776 A2 and WO 2009/108120 A1. A prediction of the effect and in particular the effectiveness of antioxidants is not possible, since the effect and effectiveness are not limited to individual oxidation reactions, but are dependent on numerous parameters and complex relationships at the cellular level and even at the animal level.

There is a need for substances, especially feed additives, to avoid oxidative stress in animals. Furthermore, inflammatory processes, e.g. Mastitis, metritis, laminitis and / or bacterial infections can be reduced, prevented and / or their treatment supported with pharmaceutical, medicinal agents. An effect of antioxidants on inflammatory processes has not yet been demonstrated and has not yet been mentioned.

There is also an increased demand for substances, in particular additives for animal feed, which may and may be used prophylactically and lead to increased or improved animal health. Particularly advantageous here are substances that have a price advantage over antibiotics and / or also lead to an increase in living mass gain, milk yield and / or animal health.

Another object of the present invention is to provide substances which are not only used in prophylaxis and act only here, but which can also be used to directly assist in the treatment of diseases and / or problems, in particular fertility problems.

An additional object of the present invention is the provision of substances which fulfill the abovementioned objects, in particular in ruminants. The aim is to reduce oxidative processes that take place in the digestive tract of the animals, so that the oxidative stress for the animal is reduced

The object is achieved by using antioxidants and antioxidant substances to increase and / or improve the endogenous radical defense system and / or reduce inflammatory processes.

Another solution is the use of antioxidants to reduce inflammatory processes and / or fertility problems.

Another solution is the use of antioxidants to help treat inflammatory processes and / or fertility problems.

In a further variant of the present invention, antioxidants are used to improve animal health and to increase the endogenous radical defense system and / or to reduce inflammatory processes in such a way that markers for oxidative stress, such as e.g. dROMS (derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites) and TBARS (

Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) are reduced in the blood.

In particular, the use according to the invention of antioxidants in dairy cows in the transit phase and in the phase of high lactation has a positive effect on animal health, preferably on udder health, expressed by a lower cell count (Somatic cell count, SCC) in the milk and by a change in the milk Levels of gene expression of GPX, SOD, catalase and proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha, interleukin 1 beta or interleukin 6.

In the following, the term "antioxidants" for antioxidants as well as for substances with antioxidant effect, where singular and plural of these terms are equivalent.

Antioxidants in the context of the present invention are substances which bind free radicals and thus prevent their harmful effects.

Antioxidants can be substances that trap free radicals and block chain reactions. However, they may also be substances with reducing properties, i. Substances that are easily oxidized without forming harmful products. In this case, the antioxidants have a lower redox potential than the substances to be protected. However, antioxidants are also substances which enhance the antioxidant action of others and are included in the group of synergistic antioxidants.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to the use of antioxidants as well as antioxidant agents for the preparation of an agent for preventing and assisting the treatment of inflammatory processes in animals, preferably selected from the group consisting of mastitis, metritis, laminitis and fertility problems. The following embodiments relate to both the use of antioxidants to improve animal health, as well as their use in support of animal health Treatment of inflammatory processes and support of the treatment of fertility problems.

Further, the following embodiments relate to the use of antioxidants for improving animal health, as well as their use for the preparation of an agent for the prevention of inflammatory processes and prevention of fertility problems.

In another embodiment, the inflammatory processes are mastitis, laminitis, and / or metritis.

In an alternative of the present invention, antioxidants are used to reduce fertility problems. Fertility problems in the sense of the invention relate to one or more features selected from the following group:

- a low insemination index.

- an extended intermediate carrying time.

- an extended intermediate calving period.

- a low pregnancy rate from a first insemination.

- a low fertilization rate.

- a small number of litters per animal.

high embryo mortality or

- a low hatching rate.

The animals whose animal health is improved according to the invention are animals selected from the group consisting of farm animals, e.g. Ruminants, non-ruminants, cattle, cows, dairy cows, goats, dairy goats, sheep, dairy sheep, swine, sows, broilers, poultry, parents, chicks, chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, horses.

Particularly preferred are animals selected from the group consisting of ruminants, in particular cattle, cows, dairy cows, goats, dairy goats, sheep and milk sheep, in particular dairy cows.

Likewise, the use according to the invention in other animals, especially in Pets possible. Examples are the use in riding horses, breeding horse generally the application in metabolic disorders of any animals.

Preferably, antioxidants are used selected from the group consisting of BHT (E 321), BHA (E320), propyl gallate, (E 310), ethoxyquin (E 324), citric acid (E 330), THBQ (319), tocopherols, rosemary extract, and carnitine.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, a combination of antioxidants is used, comprising at least one antioxidant selected from the group consisting of BHT (E 321), BHA (E320), propyl gallate (E310), ethoxyquin (E 324), citric acid (E 330 ), THBQ (E 319), as well as carnitine.

It is particularly preferable to use a combination of these antioxidants as an antioxidant mixture.

Further antioxidants, alone or in combination with each other or with the o.g. can be used are selected from the group consisting of:

E220-E228: sulfur dioxide and • E350-E352: malate salts

Salts of sulphurous acid • E354: calcium tartrate

E300-E302, E304: ascorbic acid, • E355: adipic acid

their salts and fatty acid esters • E356: sodium adipate

E306-E309: tocopherol and its • E357: potassium adipate

Ester • E363: succinic acid and / or its

E315, E316: isoascorbic acid and salts

Sodium salt • E380: triammonium citrate

E310-E312: Gallate • E385: calcium disodium ethylene

E319: tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) diamine tetraacetate (CaNa2EDTA)

E320: butylhydroxyanisole (BHA) • E392: rosemary extract (effective

E321: Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) Ingredients especially Carnosol

E330-E333: citric acid and salts and carnosic acid)

citric acid • E586: 4-hexylresorcinol

E334-E337: tartaric acid and salts of • N-acetylcysteine

Tartaric acid • Benzyl isothiocyanate

E338-E343: phosphoric acid and • aminobenzoic acid, dihydroxy salts of phosphoric acid benzoic acid Caffeic acid • gluconic acid

Alpha, beta-carotenarotene • hydroxycinnamic acid

Carvacrol • hydroxytyrosol

Chlorogenic acid • malic acid and / or its salts

Canthaxantine • Hydroxyurea

Carnosol • Hydroxyglutaric acid

Eugenol • Thymol

Caryophyllene • rosmarinic acid and / or salts thereof

Extracts of cloves, • maltol

Coffee beans, eucalyptus, rosemary, • Sesamol

Bran, sage, wheat seedlings • Hydroxybenzylphophinic acid and / or allspice • Esculetin

Ellagic acid • silymarin

Trimethylquinoline and substituted trihydroxybutyrophenone

Trimethylquinoline • tyramine

Flavonoids, flavones and / or • Q10

Flaovonol, flavonanone • methyl gallate

Gallic acid • monoglyceride citrate

Coumaric acid • phenothiazine

Thiodipropionate fatty acid ester • Gum gaiacum

Butylphenol • Ferulic acid

Erythorbic acid and / or salts • Stearyl citrate

of which • tocotrienol

Fumaric acid • tryptamine

Hesperitin • tyrosol

Glycine • Vanilic acid

Zeaxanthin • lonox, for example 100, 300

Oxalic acid and / or salts thereof • uric acid

Fraxetine • Lipoic Acid

Lecithin • Esculin

Lutein • DPPD (N, N'-diphenyl-p-)

Lycopene phenyldiamine)

Hydroquinone • epigallocatechin and / or its

Lactic acid and / or salts thereof, gallate Quercitin naphthoflavone

6-ethoxy-1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-5-methoxytryptamine

trimethylquinoline N o rhyd rog u aj a retsä u re

Morin sinapinic acid

Vitamin K resveratrol (trans-)

Phosphatidylcholine thiodipropionic acid

Polyphosphate syringic acid

Propyl gallate Phytylubichromel

Palmityl citrate octyl gallate

Antioxidant Blends: Powder

A preferred antioxidant mixture contains 5 to 25 wt% BHT (E 321), 1 to 10 wt% propyl gallate (E 310), 1 to 5% ethoxyquin (E 324), 1 to 5% TBHQ and / or 10 to 50% citric acid (E 330).

In a preferred embodiment, the antioxidant mixture contains 10 to 20 wt% BHT, 3 to 8% propyl gallate, 2 to 4% ethoxyquin, 2 to 4% TBHQ, and / or 15 to 40% citric acid.

A particularly preferred antioxidant mixture contains 17% BHT, 6% propyl gallate, 2%, ethoxyquin, 4% TBHQ and / or 25% citric acid.

In a further embodiment, the antioxidant mixture contains 5 to 15% rosemary extract, 5 to 20% natural tocopherol, 1 to 10% TBHQ and / or 1 to 5% BHT, preferably 7.5% rosemary extract, 10% natural tocopherol, 5% TBHQ and / or 3.2% BHT.

In another embodiment, the antioxidant mixture contains 10 to 30% propyl gallate, 1 to 10% BHA (E 320), 1 to 20% citric acid.

In a preferred variant, the antioxidant mixture contains 15 to 25% propyl gallate, 5 to 15% BHA and 5 to 15% citric acid, more preferably 20% propyl gallate, 10% BHA and 10% citric acid.

Antioxidants mixtures: liquid A preferred liquid antioxidant mixture contains 1 to 20% by weight of propyl gallate (E 310), 10 to 40% ethoxyquin (E 324), 1 to 25% TBHQ and / or 1 to 15% citric acid (E 330). In a preferred embodiment, the liquid antioxidant mixture contains 1 to 15% by weight of propyl gallate (E 310), 15 to 30% ethoxyquin (E 324), 1 to 20% TBHQ and / or 1 to 10% citric acid (E 330).

A particularly preferred liquid antioxidant mixture 1 to 10% by weight of propyl gallate (E 310), 20 to 30% ethoxyquin (E 324), 1 to 25% TBHQ and / or 1 to 8% citric acid (E 330), in particular 26, 5% Etoxyquin, 10% TBHQ, 7.5% propyl gallate and / or citric acid 4%.

In another embodiment, the antioxidant mixture contains 1-30% TBHQ, 1-10% propyl gallate and / or 4% citric acid.

At least 2, 3, 4, 5 or more of the abovementioned antioxidants are preferably used for the antioxidant mixture, preferably 3 or 4, in particular 4.

In another embodiment, ethoxyquin is replaced by THBQ, wherein the antioxidant mixture contains 1 to 20% by weight, preferably 2 to 10% THBQ. The antioxidant mixture is used in a proportion of 1 to 1,000 mg per kg of feed TS, preferably 50 to 750 mg per kg, more preferably 75 to 500 mg per kg, in particular 100 to 200 mg per kg of feed TS.

In addition to the antioxidants, the antioxidant mixture may also contain the following additional substances: silicates, salts, carbonates, dicalcium phosphates, dextrins, starches, dextrose, fatty acids, vegetable oils, emulsifiers (E490, E484, E432, E433, E434, E435, E436)

The subject matter of the present invention is furthermore one of the antioxidant mixtures described above. The present invention also provides a process for the preparation of one of the antioxidant mixtures described above.

According to the invention, a composition containing antioxidants, the feed, feed or drinking water of the animals is admixed.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a method of producing an animal feed comprising the following steps:

o Preparation of one of the antioxidant mixtures described above,

Mix the antioxidant mixture with a conventional animal feed and / or

Feed in a proportion of 1 to 1,000 mg per kg of feed TS, preferably 50 to 750 mg per kg, more preferably 75 to 500 mg per kg, in particular 100 to 200 mg per kg of feed TS (dry matter content).

The preparation is carried out in the simplest case by mixing the components.

The simplest form of mixing is bringing the components together in a mixer. Such mixers are known to the person skilled in the art. The mixers can be operated discontinuously or continuously. In the batch mixer, the components to be mixed are introduced in the desired ratio and then mixed for a sufficient time in the range of minutes to hours. The mixing time and the mixing stress are determined so that the two components are homogeneously distributed in the mixture. In the case of continuous mixing, both components are added continuously, optionally after a premix. Even in a continuous mixer, the residence time and mixing stress should be selected so that both components are homogeneously distributed in the mixture. The mixture is usually carried out at room temperature, but can also be carried out at higher or lower temperatures. In a preferred embodiment, the mixtures are carried out at room temperatures. The mixture can be carried out at atmospheric pressure, in a vacuum or at elevated pressure. For the mixing tasks described here, mixing at normal pressure is to be preferred. Alternatively, the mixture is possible in a mill or over a movement of the entire container. Examples of this are tumble mixers, drum mixers or the like. Another possibility is the use of pneumatic mixers. The mixture of solids is described, for example, in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Sixth Edition, 2000, Mixing of Solids.

Mixture of liquid antioxidants

In one variant of the present invention, the mixtures are optionally prepared at room temperature by combining the components in a mixer and optionally heating to 60 ° C. Optionally, a premix of parts of the mixture is prepared. The present invention thus relates to feed additives for animals comprising an antioxidant mixture according to the invention and / or prepared by the process according to the invention and the use of the antioxidants or antioxidant mixture as feed additive or in feed additives or corresponding mixtures of substances. The feed additives can be added to all common feeds.

The invention also includes feed containing the feed additives of the invention and their use for animal nutrition

In the context of the present invention, "feed" or "animal feed" and feed additives are any substances or products which are processed, partially processed or unprocessed and intended for oral administration. Accordingly, animal feeds and feed additives may be both in solid form and in liquid form. Thus, also drinking water for animals is included.

The feedingstuffs are feed within the meaning of Article 3 (4) of Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002. The feedstuffs may be either feed materials, compound feeds, premixes or additives, these being defined in LFGB § 3, numbers 1 1, 12 and 13 in the version of 26.4.2006.

Suitable feeds may include one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve or more ingredients selected from the group consisting of: corn, barley, wheat, oats, rye, triticale, sorghum , Silage (eg corn silage, grass silage), rice and bran, semolina and flours, soybeans, soya products such as soybean meal, rapeseed, rape seed extract, cottonseed and meal, sunflower seeds, sunflower seed meal, linseed, linseed meal, oil seed expeller, field beans and peas, gluten , Gelatin, tapioca, yeasts, single cell protein, fishmeal, salts, minerals, trace elements, vitamins, amino acids, oils / fats and the like.

The feeds are regularly put together so that the corresponding need for nutrients for the respective species is optimally covered. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the feed also contains substances which, in particular, individually or in the form of preparations, are intended to be added to feed

• to influence the nature of feed or animal products, • to meet the needs of animals for certain nutrients or active substances or to improve animal production, in particular by affecting the stomach and intestinal flora or the digestibility of the feedingstuffs or reducing them Harassment by excreta of the animals, or

• to achieve special nutritional purposes or to meet certain temporary nutritional needs of the animals.

In a further embodiment, further ingredients may be included. The choice of other ingredients depends on the selected field of use and the selected dosage form of the agent thus available. Further constituents in the context of the present invention are, for example, the following substances: vitamins, carotenoids, trace elements, further antioxidants, enzymes, amino acids, minerals, carnitine, emulsifiers, stabilizers, preservatives, binders, anti-caking agents and / or flavorings.

In a further embodiment, the feed and the feed additives may contain additives or carriers. The term "additives" or "carriers" is understood to mean substances in solid and liquid form which serve to improve product properties, such as dust behavior, flow properties, water absorption capacity, dissolution behavior and storage stability, for example silicates and carbonates / or mixtures thereof may be based on sugars such as lactose or maltodextrin, based on cereal or legume products such as corn cob meal, wheat bran and soybean meal, based on mineral salts including calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium salts, as well as D - Pantothenic acid or its salts themselves (chemically or fermentatively produced D-Pantothensäuresalz) be.

Suitable liquid components are listed, for example, in US Pat. No. 7,910,604 B2, in Sp. 5, Z. 52 - Sp.10, Z. 50. A compilation of usable dry components can be found in US Pat. No. 7,910,604 B2, Sp. 10, Z. 15 - Sp. 1 1, No. 64. The terms "improvement", "increase", "increase", "decrease", "reduction", the corresponding verbs as well as synonyms of all these terms mean a change of 1% - 100%, preferably 5% - 20% of a property compared to a control.

The terms "prevention" and / or "avoidance", the corresponding verbs as well as synonyms of all these terms mean that animals to which antoxidants according to the invention are administered exhibit significantly lower symptoms of oxidative stress, inflammatory processes and / or fertility problems compared to a control.

The term "control" means identical or approximately identical animals compared with and without treatment by the feed additive according to the invention The choice of suitable controls is a routine component of each experimental set-up known to the person skilled in the art Animal animals around groups of animals, in a number that allows the expert to perform a statistical evaluation, In particular, a statistical evaluation can be made that indicates a significant change in characteristics, such as with the Student T-Test.

Comparisons are preferably carried out under analogous conditions. The term "analogous conditions" means that all environmental conditions, such as food, feed, water, temperature, humidity, housing conditions, etc., are kept equal between the experiments to be compared.

The characteristic referred to above may in one embodiment be animal health. The term "animal health" is used in the present invention in the same sense as EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) or the Federal Veterinary Office (BfT) and the EU as part of the Animal Health Strategy for the European Union 2007-2013.

Essentially, this is not just about the absence of disease in the animal, but more generally about the welfare of the animals. According to the invention, an improvement in animal health can also be made clear by an increase or improvement of the endogenous radical defense system and / or the reduction of inflammatory processes compared to control animals.

In one embodiment of the invention, animal health means the absence of diseases such as mastitis, claw inflammation and / or metritis. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, animal health means that normal values of one or more parameters are present selected from the group consisting of:

Oxidative stress markers: dROMS and / or TBARS,

Vitamin E content in blood, milk and / or body tissue,

Expression level of GPX, catalase and / or SOD in liver and adipose tissue, and / or

Expression level per inflammatory cytokine: TNF-alpha, interleukin 1-beta and / or interleukin 6.

For the purposes of the present invention, improved animal health can also mean a faster recovery, a more easy course of disease-for example, fewer or weaker symptoms-compared to control animals. In terms of high yielding animals, improved animal health in a variant of the present invention means that fewer animals within a group of experimental animals become ill and / or have disease symptoms than a group of control animals.

A positive side effect of the use of antioxidants according to the invention is the increase in the vitamin E content in blood, milk and body tissue.

Another effect of the use of antioxidants according to the invention is the increased expression of GPX (glutathione peroxidase) and SOD (superoxide dismutase).

In addition, the expression per inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha, interleukin 1 - beta and / or interleukin 6 is reduced.

The support of the treatment of inflammatory processes in animals by the antioxidants according to the invention can lead to positive effects, preferably synergistic effects in the treatment, that is, the effects, such as diminution or disappearance of the symptoms, are greater or occur faster than by treatment the animals with pharmaceutical and / or medicinal agents alone, without administration of the antioxidants of the invention.

Example 1: a) Animal nutrition For the experiments, 60 cows with the same average lactation and milk yield are used. The 60 cows are divided into 3 groups of 20 animals. To obtain a representative average, one group has the following composition: 8 cows with first lactation, 6 cows with second lactation and 6 cows with third or higher lactation.

The cows receive their normal feed, in the form of a, TMR (Total Mixted Ration of Alfalfa, Maissillage, Dried Meat (DDGS), corn, barley and soybean meal).

A group of 20 cows serves as a control. Into the feed of a second group antioxidants are added according to the invention, e.g. 150 mg of a mixture of antioxidant to 1 kg / feed TM. This food has a recommended vitamin E content (1 000 IU / D). The third group contains a diet free of antioxidants but with an elevated vitamin E content (3,000 IU / D).

The dairy cows are accustomed to individual feeding systems (so-called calan gates). Familiarization begins on day 21 before birth (pre partum). Administration of each feed begins on day 14 before birth and continues until the 84th day of lactation. b) measurements

During this time, the feed intake of the individual animals is determined, for example by means of the Calan gates and a Data Ranger feeding system.

The amount of milk is determined daily.

The composition of the milk is determined monthly as part of the DHIA test (Dairy herd Information Association)

Every 2 weeks, a milk analysis is carried out to determine, for example, the fat content, protein content, lactose content, solids content, MUN (milk urea) and SCC (the number of somatic cells).

Furthermore, the weight of the dairy cows and the general condition are determined on the following days: 28a. p., 21 ap, 14a. p., 7a. p., 0, 7p.p., 14 pp, 21 pp, 28p. p., 56 pp and 84p. p. The vitamin E content is determined in blood, liver, adipose tissue and / or milk. The determination is advantageously carried out on at least 10 animals from a group on the days DIM: - 21, 7 and 56, for example. A larger number of measurements is particularly advantageous. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase in blood and liver is measured at the same time as described above.

Furthermore, the oxidative stress on the markers dROMS and TBARS in blood is also determined at this time.

In addition, the change in gene expression in adipose tissue and liver can be determined with a so-called Bovine Affymetrix Gene Array. In particular, the level of gene expression of GPX and SOD, the proinflammatory cytokines, e.g. TNF-alpha, interleukin 1 beta or interleukin 6 are determined using these DNA arrays.

Example 2: Animal nutrition

134 dairy cows were used in this trial. These were divided into a study group receiving 150 mg antioxidants / kg diet dry matter in addition to the normal diet and a control group without additional antioxidant supplementation (67 animals per group). The group allocation included lactation and milk yield. The feeding consisted of a partial TMR (grass silage, corn silage, spent grains) and additional performance-based concentrate feed (barley, wheat, corn, mineral feed). Milk quantity, ingredients and cell count were determined every two weeks over a period of 5 months.

The number of somatic cells in the milk in the animals receiving anti-oxidants according to the invention (150 mg / kg diet dry matter) was significantly lower than in the control animals, indicating a better udder health.

Claims

claims

1 . Use of antioxidants and antioxidant substances to increase / improve the endogenous radical defense system (eRDS) and / or to reduce inflammatory processes.

2. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that it is in the

Inflammatory processes are mastitis, claw inflammation and / or metritis

3. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that it is

Prevention and / or reduction of fertility problems.

4. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that it is animals

selected from the group consisting of livestock, ruminants and non-ruminants, cattle, cows, dairy cows, goats,

Dairy goats, sheep, dairy sheep, pigs, sows, poultry, poultry and laying poultry, chicks, chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, horses, especially ruminants, in particular cattle, cows, dairy cows, goats, milking goats, sheep and milk sheep Dairy cows.

5. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a

Combination of antioxidants selected from the group consisting of BHT (E321), BHA, propyl gallate (E310), ethoxyquin (E324),

Citric acid (E330), THBQ (E319) and carnitine.

6. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that the antioxidants as an antioxidant mixture in a proportion of 1 to 1, 000 mg per kg of feed TS, preferably 50 to 750 mg per kg, more preferably 75 to 500 mg per kg, in particular 100 up to 200 mg per kg of feed TS (dry matter content) is used.

7. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that as antioxidants an antioxidant mixture with 5 to 25 wt.% BHT (E 321), 1 to 10 wt.% Propyl gallate (E 310), 1 to 5% ethoxyquin (E 324) , 1 -5% TBHQ and / or 10 to 50% citric acid (E 330) and / or an antioxidant mixture containing 1 to 20% by weight of propyl gallate (E 310), 10 to 40% ethoxyquin (E 324), 1 to 25% TBHQ and / or 1 to 15%

1 Citric acid (E 330) and / or an antioxidant mixture with 10 to 30%

Propyl gallate, 1 to 10% BHA (E 320), 1 to 20% citric acid and / or an antioxidant mixture with 5 to 15% rosemary extract, 5 to 20% natural tocopherol, 1 to 10% TBHQ and / or 1 to 5% BHT is used.

8. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that the concentration of the markers for oxidative stress in the blood are reduced.

9. Use of antioxidants for the prophylaxis and / or support of

Treatment of inflammatory processes and / or fertility problems.

10. A method for improving animal health, characterized in that

Antioxidants and / or substances with antioxidant effects are fed as feed supplements.

1 1. Method for supporting the treatment of inflammatory processes

and / or fertility problems, characterized in that antioxidants and / or substances with antioxidant activity are fed as feed supplements.

12. The method according to claim 1 1, characterized in that the inflammatory

Processes are selected from the group consisting of mastitis,

Claw inflammation, metritis and fertility problems.

13. The method of claim 11, characterized in that a combination of antioxidants is fed, selected from the group consisting of: consisting of BHT (E321), BHA, propyl gallate (E310), ethoxyquin (E324), citric acid (E330), THBQ (E319) as well as carnitine.

14. The method according to claim 1 1, characterized in that they are animals selected from the group consisting of farm animals,

Ruminants and non-ruminants, cattle, cows, dairy cows, goats,

2