Evaluation of a nutraceutical for prevention of equine ulcer recurrence

The number of horses with equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine gastric glandular disease (EGGD) recurrence when pharmacological treatment is discontinued is high.

To examine if a commercially available nutraceutical compound containing lecithin, pectin, and meadowsweet could prevent recurrence of both ESGD and EGGD after omeprazole treatment, evaluated by repeated gastroscopic examinations and saliva biomarkers.

Blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Thirty horses of mixed breeds and sex with a recent diagnosis and treatment of both ESGD and EGGD were included and randomly assigned to a placebo or a nutraceutical group. The horses received 10 mL per 100 kg bodyweight (bwt) of either nutraceutical or placebo orally for the 4-8-week duration of the study and were kept in their home environment and trained as normal. Gastroscopic grading of ESGD and EGGD and saliva were obtained at the initial diagnosis, as well as before and after the trial. Salivary biomarkers were measured by automated chemistry analysers using commercial kits. Due to the non-normal distribution of data, Friedman tests with Wilcoxon post hoc tests were applied to assess changes over time within groups, Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to evaluate difference between groups.

Regardless of nutraceutical or placebo assignment, only five horses remained ulcer free after the trial. The nutraceutical was not found to be better than placebo for preventing gastric disease recurrence when evaluated by gastroscopy scores. At the time of the last gastroscopy, the nutraceutical group had lower salivary ADA and higher bicarbonate concentrations compared to the placebo group.

Salivary biomarkers need further validation.

Although addition of the nutraceutical did not have a significant effect in preventing ESGD or EGGD recurrence, it produced changes in salivary biomarkers suggesting a potential improvement in gastric mucosal health.