Neurotoxicity of Traditional Plant-Based Veterinary Medicine: Current Status and Challenges

Plant-based medicines are employed for therapeutic, preventative, or diagnostic purposes in the animal health care sector. Phytotherapy is used to treat numerous conditions, including toxicity, digestive problems, foot and mouth disease, dermatitis, burning, abdominal pains, respiratory distress, mange, bone fractures, and skin diseases. Plant-based medicines are thought to be more affordable, non-toxic, and secure than allopathic medications due to their natural origin. However, there are evidences of the harmful effects of phytomedicines on humans. It is associated with a number of neurologic side effects, like cerebrovascular accidents, convulsions, encephalopathy, hallucinations, and insanity. Acacia nilotica, Erythroxylum spp., Bambusa vulgaris, and other medicinal plants are reported to be neurotoxic to different animal species, such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, and dogs. Adulteration, environmental pollutants, microorganism contamination, and plant parts or metabolites with a poisonous propensity are some of the factors influencing the toxicity of herbal medicine products. Therefore, accurate evaluation and toxicity assessment of plant-based medicines must be done in order to guarantee safety. In vitro methods, in vivo evaluation using vertebrate and invertebrate animal models, DNA sequencing, and the application of metabolomics may serve as important tools for assessing the quality and safety of phytomedicines. Additionally, available pharmacopoeias should include monographs for plants and plant components specifically utilized for animals in order to uphold the standard of traditional veterinary medicine.