Technological mapping of plant-based patents for treating bovine mastitis

Bovine mastitis costs the world's economy an estimated USD 19.7-32 billion annually. Plant-based products have been used as alternative treatments with advantages such as minimal side effects, and no studies have reported the formation of resistant microorganisms. To identify these plant-based products, this study performed a technological mapping of patent applications. We applied the terms 'Mastitis AND Extract' and 'Bovine OR Plant OR Livestock OR Cow' to the Espacenet database to find relevant patents. Following this, we applied the same terms to the International Patent Classification (IPC) to categorize patents according to their technological area of use. We found that private companies were the main applicants, among which Chinese companies comprised the majority (52%) and that Taraxacum was the most cited plant in patents. The main applicant was the Lanzhou Institute with seven patents. The most recurrent IPC was A61k36, which refers to medicinal preparations based on algae, lichens, fungi, or plants. From 2000 onwards, the number of patent filings increased, according to the survey, and in 2015, 31 relevant patent applications were filed. Based on this patent survey, we gained a panoramic view of the plant-based. HIGHLIGHTS: China was the main depository of patent applications involving plants and bovine mastitis. The A61k36 subclass had a higher incidence of applications. Companies represent the primary applicants of patent documents to treat bovine mastitis. The genera Taraxacum, Lonicera, and Astragalus were the most cited in patents.