Welfare issues of donkey (Equus asinus): a checklist based on the five freedoms

Studies on the welfare of donkey (Equus asinus) have developed slowly, because considered very rustic animals, reared prevalently under extensive production systems and widespread mainly in marginal areas. The diffusion of extensive breeding of this species has led to the belief that donkey did not need any welfare assessment. More recently, the scenario has changed, due to a gradual diffusion of intensive and semi-intensive production systems, especially in highly productive dairy breeds, to the growing concern of consumers about the life conditions of farmed animals, and to the issuing of a number of national and European rules / laws on the safety of animal products and well-being of farmed livestock. Relating with the importance of this species on food farming industry, the Author underlines the missing of specific recommendations concerning the welfare of farmed donkey. In absence of common criteria and guidelines, it is possible to make reference to the well-known “five freedoms”. This paper will review the main welfare issues of donkeys and the following aspects will be considered: nutrition, housing and management, clinical problems, behaviour problems.     

Evaluation of ��-amylase inhibitory activities of selected antidiabetic medicinal plants

Inhibitors of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes such as ??-amylase play an important role for the control of diabetes mellitus especially in patients with type 2 diabetes. In this study we selected ten antidiabetic medicinal plants, because they have been recommended to treat diabetes in traditional Iranian medicine, and screened them for ??-amylase inhibitory activities. Among the tested samples, Camellia sinensis (Theaceae) leaf (IC₅₀?=?1.54?mg/mL), Trigonella foenum-graecum (Leguminosae) seed (IC₅₀?=?1.87?mg/mL) and leaf (IC₅₀?=?1.92?mg/mL), and Urtica dioica (Urticaceae) leaf (IC₅₀?=?1.89?mg/mL) revealed appreciable ??-amylase inhibitory activities in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, the most active sample, Camellia sinensis leaf, was partitioned by stepwise solvent?Csolvent extraction process and the inhibitory effect of each fraction on the ??-amylase was tested. According to the results, the ethyl acetate fraction (IC₅₀?=?0.53?mg/mL) and the residue (IC₅₀?=?0.52?mg/mL) had the highest ??-amylase inhibitory activities.