Study: Desert Leaf Extract Eliminates Proud Flesh in Horses

Indian researchers found resistant proud flesh became undetectable within weeks of treatment with the newly developed desert cotton leaf extract.
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Study: Desert Leaf Extract Eliminates Proud Flesh in Horses
Proud flesh is excessive granulation tissue that can develop over wounds, particularly on the lower limbs. It’s unsightly and can cause mechanical lameness. | Courtesy Amy McLean

The leaves of an Indian desert plant might soon help relieve horses across the globe from the discomfort of proud flesh.

Indian scientists have reported, for the first time, that excessive granulation tissue, also known as proud flesh, essentially disappears when treated with an extract from a common desert plant. Resistant proud flesh—sometimes more than a year old—became undetectable within weeks of treatment with the newly developed desert cotton leaf extract, said Ramesh Kumar Dedar, DVM, PhD, at the Bikaner Rajasthan Veterinary Medicine and Equine Production Campus of the National Research Center on Equines (ICAR), in Hisar, Haryana, India.

Horses can develop proud flesh over wounds—particularly those on the lower limbs due to the high tissue tension and mobility in these areas. Proud flesh affects the wounds’ ability to contract properly and grow new layers of skin, Dedar said. The tumorlike growths—which, unlike many tumors, lack nerves—are not only unsightly but also appear to cause discomfort and restrict movement.

Study: Desert Leaf Extract Eliminates Proud Flesh in Horses
Aerva javanica is also known as “desert cotton.” The plant is native to most of Africa and parts of Asia. | Courtesy Wiki Commons

The desert leaf extract’s potency against proud flesh might be related to coping mechanisms that help the plant survive in a harsh environment, said study co-author Naveen Kumar, DVM, PhD, of the ICAR’s Veterinary Microbiology Department.

Able to withstand extreme temperatures and drought, the bushy desert cotton plant (Aerva javanica) probably produces a high level of “plant hormones”—known as ecdysteroids and flavonoid kaempferols—when faced with environmental stress, Kumar said. Previous studies have suggested that ecdysteroids can kill insects and reduce intestinal worm burdens in humans and livestock and that kaempferols can suppress tumor growth.

“So we wanted to try this product as an option to relieve horses of proud flesh, which is sometimes associated with parasitic infections of habronema (fly) larvae,” Dedar said.

Treating 15 Horses With Stubborn Cases of Proud Flesh

Dedar, Kumar, and their fellow researchers selected 15 horses belonging to local Indian farmers for their experiment. Each of the horses had developed significant accumulations of proud flesh over wounds that had been present for at least two months and, in two cases, longer than a year and had not responded to standard veterinary treatment. Two of the horses also had habronema larvae infestations in the proud flesh. The scientists created experimental preparations of desert cotton leaf extract, in various concentrations, that they adapted into a spray format. They administered a topical application directly onto each horse’s proud flesh once a day until the proud flesh disappeared.

They found that all 15 horses lost the bulk of the proud flesh within a month, and some as quickly as 10 days, Dedar said. None showed any signs of adverse reactions to the treatment.

Microscopic and histological analyses showed the proud flesh was mostly composed of connective tissue, blood vessels, and inflammatory cells and sometimes habronema larvae, the scientists reported. Mass spectrometry suggested kaempferols in the leaf extract had a notable effect on the granular tissue.

A Win-Win Situation for Horses and Local Farmers

Despite the encouraging results, the product must undergo further testing to gain approval from veterinary authorities in different countries, said Dedar. Even so, he remains hopeful that his discovery could lead to a win-win solution for horses and local farmers alike.

“The (desert cotton) plant grows on desert land managed by poor farmers in (southern) India, and it’s mostly useless because their livestock don’t eat it,” said Dedar. “However, it may have real value for horses, and this could provide an effective and low-cost solution for horse owners worldwide while providing an income opportunity for these desert farmers.

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Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

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