Assessment of the effect and safety of salacinol in horses

Abstract

We report a study that examined the effect and safety of salacinol from Salacia reticulata extract (SRE) for the intestinal microbiota of horses. We administered SRE to healthy horses and evaluated their intestinal microbiota before and after the test period for changes in composition. Horses that received the SRE showed notable differences in intestinal microbiota composition between before and after administration, with a substantial increase in bacteria of the order Lactobacillales at the end of the test period. Moreover, the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio was elevated. Salacinol was administered as a supplement for 28 days. Physiological and blood tests were conducted in the presence of a veterinarian, and a safety assessment was performed. These evaluations revealed no detrimental findings.

A review of antidiabetic active thiosugar sulfoniums, salacinol and neokotalanol, from plants of the genus Salacia

“…Extracts from plants of the genus Salacia have been found to have good safety profiles in animal models, such as rats, mice, guinea pigs, and horses, and also in healthy adults, and in patients with borderline diabetes and type 2 diabetes [4,[98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106]. Thus, no serious oral toxicity of Salacia extracts, such as aqueous extracts from S. reticulata and S. oblonga, has been observed following single-dose treatment in sub-chronic administration tests [4,[98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105]. In addition, the extract from S. reticulata presented no mutagenicity [98], hepatotoxicity [103], antigenicity, or phototoxicity [104].…”