Emu Oil: A novel therapeutic for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract?

Abstract

Gastrointestinal diseases characterized by inflammation, including the inflammatory bowel diseases, chemotherapy-induced mucositis and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory druginduced enteropathy, currently have variably effective treatment options, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic approaches. Recently, naturally-sourced agents including prebiotics, probiotics, plant-extracts and marine-derived oils known to possess antiinflammatory and anti-oxidant properties have been investigated in vitro and in vivo. However, animal-derived oils are yet to be extensively tested. Emu Oil is extracted from the subcutaneous and retroperitoneal fat of the Emu, a flightless bird native to Australia, and predominantly comprises fatty acids. Despite the limited rigorous scientific studies conducted to date, with largely anecdotal claims, Emu Oil, when administered topically and orally, has been shown to possess significant anti-inflammatory properties in vivo. These include a CD-1 mouse model of croton oil-induced auricular inflammation, experimentallyinduced polyarthritis and dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. Recently, Emu Oil has been demonstrated to endow partial protection against chemotherapy-induced mucositis, with early indications of improved intestinal repair. Emu Oil could therefore form the basis of an adjunct to conventional treatment approaches for inflammatory disorders affecting the gastrointestinal system.

Oral Nucleotides Only Minimally Improve 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Mucositis in Rats

“…Recently, a somewhat disparate group of naturallysourced agents have demonstrated improvements in mucositis symptomatology in the experimental setting. These include a whey-derived growth factor extract (9), plant extracts such as grape seed extract (10,11) and Iberogast (12), animal-sourced oils such as emu oil (13)(14)(15)(16) and Lyprinol (17) and certain probiotics (18). However, despite the effectiveness of these compounds, the need to pursue alternative treatment modalities still remains.…”

Anatomical and morphological study of the kidneys of the breeding emu(Dromaius novaehollandiae)

“…2001; Majewska et al, 2008;Abimosleh et al, 2012;Szczerbińska et al, 2014). Moreover, emus show high adaptive abilities to different climatic conditions.…”

The synergystic effects of omega-3 fatty acids against 5-fluorouracil-induced mucosal impairment in mice

“…It will be suggested that increase of crypt cell proliferation protected mucosa (vill) and crypt length [24]. Tazuke et al demonstrated an increase in small intestinal crypt cell proliferation following glutamine administration in a rat model of chemotherapy (cisplatin)-induced mucosal injury [25].…”