OTTAWA, Nov. 3, 2014 /CNW/ - Avivagen Inc. (TSXV: VIV)
(OTC Pink: CHEXF)
On Friday afternoon the leading journal PLOS ONE published research
that provides underlying scientific support for a fundamentally new
type of natural alternative to the use of antibiotics in livestock
feeds for growth promotion and disease prevention. The paper is the
result of work by both independent and company scientists. Avivagen
Inc. is a wellness company developing and delivering products that
support and enhance the health and quality of life for animals and
the people who care for them.
The discovery that the product formed by full, spontaneous
oxidation of beta-carotene, termed OxC-Beta, can beneficially
support immune function comes at a time when stakeholders across
the globe, including national health regulators, are looking to
avoid usage of antibiotics in livestock due to concerns they pose
threats to public health.
In-feed trials of OxC-beta appear to be gaining attention from
the livestock industry due to emerging evidence that this natural
product may be a safe, effective and affordable alternative to
antibiotics.
The peer-reviewed, scientific journal article detailing the
biological activities of the fully-oxidized carotenoid technology
is entitled "Biologically Active Polymers from Spontaneous
Carotenoid Oxidation: A New Frontier in Carotenoid
Activity." PLOS ONE is an international, peer-reviewed,
open-access, online publication that reports on primary research
from all scientific disciplines after rigorous peer review for
technical soundness.
The article reports on the novel discoveries made by Avivagen
scientists and collaborators about the biological activities of
products obtained from the full, spontaneous oxidation of
carotenoid compounds. Typical examples of carotenoids include
common health and feed supplements such as beta-carotene,
astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, lutein and lycopene.
Although carotenoids are popularly believed to act as
antioxidants, Avivagen's discoveries bring to light the ability of
these compounds to be totally transformed by spontaneous reaction
with oxygen into entirely different natural products –
fully-oxidized carotenoids such as OxC-beta – that appear to have
beneficial effects upon immune function. Of particular note is the
previously unrecognized and predominant presence of
oxygen-copolymer products that are believed to account for the
majority of the immunological activity.
The PLOS ONE article describes the ability of OxC-beta to prime
the immune system to more effectively respond to microbial
challenges. Specific results on immune receptor levels, cytokine
levels and phagocytic activity provide mechanistic and
function-based evidence of OxC-beta-enhanced innate immunity.
Furthermore, the article notes that the effects of fully-oxidized
carotenoids may explain the epidemiological evidence for benefits
from diets rich in carotenoid-containing fruits and vegetables and
the corresponding lack of consistent efficacy from direct dietary
supplementation with intact beta-carotene.
Dr. Graham Burton, Director
Commercialization Science and co-founder of Avivagen is a co-author
of the paper and commented "We're very pleased to have our
manuscript published by PLOS ONE, which is one of the world's
leading peer-reviewed journals. We believe the publication of this
work confirms our assessment that Avivagen's discoveries may have
important implications for animal and human health."
Cameron Groome, C.E.O. and
President of Avivagen also commented "We believe peer-reviewed
publications are important to Avivagen, as they help establish the
scientific validity of our products. We look forward to our team
and collaborators publishing future manuscripts concerning the
properties of OxC-beta and the benefits from its use in companion
and livestock animals."
The paper was authored by James B.
Johnston, James G. Nickerson,
Janusz Daroszewski, Trevor J. Mogg and Graham W. Burton. The article was published on
October 31, 2014, and is available
via hyperlink from the Avivagen site at www.avivagen.com or
http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111346. The journal PLOS
ONE is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians
committed to marking the world's scientific and medical literature
a freely available public resource. By providing open public access
to publications, permitting published papers to be of any length
and avoiding editor biases, PLOS ONE has become the largest
scientific journal in the world.
SOURCE Avivagen Inc.
