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Send Orders for Reprints to [email protected] 3 The Natural Products Journal, 2017, 7, 3-11 REVIEW ARTICLE ISSN: 2210-3155 eISSN: 2210-3163 Horn's Biologically Active Substances - Can We Replace Horns of Criti- cally Endangered Species (Saiga) by Horns of More Abundant Animals? BENTHAM SCIENCE Ivan Mikšík1,* and Oleg Romanov2 1Institute of Physiology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Vídeňská 1083, Prague 4, 142 20, Czech Republic; 2Kalmykian State University, Elista, Russia Abstract: The horn of the saiga antelope is often used in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Its “popular” name in Chinese is ‘Lin Yan Jiao’ and the pharmaceutical name is Cornu Antelopis. It is as famous and valuable as musk, pilose antler (Lurong) and rhino horn, the most-renowned medicinal materials of animal origin used in TCM. However, the saiga has also joined the rhinoceros on the list of endangered species. The presented review briefly overviews an existing knowledge regarding the biologically active compounds at saiga horn. The main beneficial effects of the horn, whiwhich could be described in scientific terms, are mostly anti- pyretic and antiulcerative. Despite someome indicationindiindic of its efficacy, no sspecific compound from the A R T I C L E H I S T O R Y saiga horn has yet been isolated or scientificscientificallyscientifica described. It can be assumedassu that the amino acid composition of the horns of variousriouss animalanimals:animals the buffalo, the saiga,a, thehe ox and the goat is almost same Received: June 24, 2016 in terms of nature and compositionpositionosition when they differ only in theirheireir ratios. ThThe similarity of amino acid Revised: October 21, 2016 l Accepted: October 27, 2016 and peptide compounds hahas confirmedconfirm the similarity of anti-inflammatoryti-inflammatonflammato and antiulcerative physio- Sale DOI: logical actions. Thus, we canca talklk aabout the interchangingg ability of horns.h If someone believes in the 10.2174/221031550666616102714 positive influence of animal hohhorns on human health, we can thorooughly recommend the use of horns 4030 from animals thatt are more aabundant (such as waterterr buffalo, rams)ra as compared to the critically en- dangered speciesciesies suchuchch forasa ssaiga (oror rhrrhinoceros) with possible similar effect on the organism. There are also some evidencesvidences thath the antipyretiantipyrantipyretic effectect is not strictlystricstr dependent on the origin of the horn and might bee connected to the herbalerbalrbal substancessub ceses prescribedprescribe and used in the preparation of Chinese medi- ourna cine. or J However,ver,Not onoonly some thoroughugh scientificfic researchresearcresea on TCM could provide new results that can identify the most active componentsent of the extrextextracttan Distributionand confirm our assumptions about the beneficial effects of extracts act or powders off ththe horns.orns. Keywords: Biologically active compounds, horn,ho rhinoceros, saiga, traditional Chinese medicine. ucts INTRODUCTION Horns are made of keratin, like your fingernails (more accu- d rately they consist of a bony core and a keratinized sheath), Many people use the terms horns andd Publicantaantlers inter- they grow throughout the entire lifetime of an animal and changeably. They both grow from an animal’s forehead and ro they are permanent and are never shaded, Antlers, on the both are used for the assertion of dominance, providing de- other hand, are made of bone and they are shaded every year P fence and attracting the mates. and in the fall, a whole new set grows back in time for the l Horns and antlers have a different evolutionary history mating season. The antler cycle is regulated by the testicular and are made from somewhat different precursors. Horns cycle [1, 2]. Horns consist of a covering of keratin (and some evolved primarily in the family of cloven-hoofed ruminant other proteins) surrounding a core of live bone. True horns mammals, or ‘bovids’ such as sheep, goats, cows and bison. are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the Antlers, on the other hand, evolved in a different family of families Antilocapridae (pronghorn) and Bovidae (cattle, ruminants called ‘cervids’, which includes all deer, elk, goats, antelope etc.). Though horns are never branched, they moose and caribou (or reindeer). In addition, another notable do vary in shape and size from species to species. atura difference between horns and antlers is that the horns are The horns grow in a completely different way as com- N unbranched but antlers are branched with multiple points. pared to that of the antlers. Neither the sheath nor the core is ever shed and in many species, the horns never stop growing. e *Address correspondence to this author at the Institute of Physiology, The Horn cores begin as a small bony growth under the skin, Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Vídeňská 1083, Prague 4, 142 20, over the skull and, in the subcutaneous connective tissue. Czech Republic; Tel: +420-296442534; E-mail: [email protected] They are not attached to the skull and are known as ‘ossi- Th 2210-3163/17 $58.00+.00 © 2017 Bentham Science Publishers 4 The Natural Products Journal, 2017, Vol. 7, No. 1 Mikšík and Romanov cones’. They possess their own centres of ossification and the second horn, found in species with two horns, lies over fuse secondarily to skull bones. In members of the family the frontal bones. Bovidae, horns develop from or over the frontals. The antler and horn-bearing animals are deeply rooted in Similar to antlers, horns are often used by the males for the human culture and partly, the observed functional sig- the purpose of fights and displays during the breeding sea- nificance of horns and antlers in the survival and reproduc- son. In general (but with many exceptions, including saiga), tion of these animals has facilitated their popular use in tradi- horns are present in both sexes of a species with a relatively tional medicine. large body-size but are absent in the females of smaller spe- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely cies. This is probably due to the fact that larger species are used for thousands of years, both to prevent and to treat vari- more likely to engage into a fight, whereas smaller species ous diseases, and a renewed interest in TCM is demonstrated tend to run and/or hide. In the species where members of by the tenfold increase in the number of published articles on both the sexes have horns, some degree of sexual dimor- the topic in the last 20 years (Fig. 1). phism is usually observed as a rule. The horns of the males are usually thicker at the base and are able to withstand more Probably the most famous use of horn in the TCM is that force, whereas the horns of the female members are of the Rhino, which has been used for over 2000 years. It is straighter and thinner, which may make them better suited strongly believed that it has a beneficial influence on human. for stabbing (defensive weapons). Some recent studies propose that compounds derived from the rhinoceros horn are effective in the treatment of hyper- The horns of the Rhino differ from the ‘true’ horns with thermia, whereas some studies have researched its antipy- regard to the core or sheath, both of which are absent in retic properties; however the conclusions drawn by these rhino. They are made up of a multitude of epidermal cells studies remain contradictory [3-7]. and bundles of dermal papillae - extensions of the dermis. Cells from each papilla form a horny fibre similar to a thick The horn of the saiga antelope is also frequently used in hair. These fibres, which are held together by the mass off TCM.TCT Its popular name in Chinese is ‘Lin Yan Jiao’ and the epidermal cells, are not true hair, because true hair growsowsws pharmaceuticalphaph name iss CornuCorn Antelopis. It is as famous and from the follicles that extend into the dermis whereas rhinoino valuable as musk, pilosese antlerantle (Lurong) and rhino horn, the horns grow from the dermal papillae which extendd into the most-renowned medicinal mmaterial of animal origin used in horn. The Rhino horns commonly have a posterior curvaturecurvatur TCM. The textualxtualual record of the use of ‘Lin Yan Jiao’ may and are situated over the nasal bones in all the rhinohino species;peciSale date back too thee ‘Sheng‘Shengnong Bencao’ (Divine Husbandman's for bution Fig. (1). Number of published articles in scientific journals about Traditional Chinese Medicine according to the Scopus database of peer- reviewed literature - searching for articles containing the term “Traditional Chinese Medicine” in article title (red squares) or in article title, abstract and keywords (green circles). Saiga Horn The Natural Products Journal, 2017, Vol. 7, No. 1 5 Classic of the Materia Medica), 2000 years ago. In the early is depicted as the main component of 18 types of medicines 1990s, in an effort to reduce the loss of rhinoceros to poach- for detoxification, treatment of cold and lung disease [12]. It ing, conservationist organizations advocated the use of the is prescribed by the Chinese physicians for fever, dizziness, horn of the saiga antelope in TCM. By 2001, however, the blurred vision, headache, and convulsion [13]. The damping, saiga also joined the rhinoceros on the list of endangered antipyretic, fever-lowering effects of the Saiga and other species [8]. animal horns are known for centuries. Uncovering the iden- tity of any biologically active compound(s) in the horns of Saiga (Saiga tatarica) (Fig. 2) has populations of the these species could eventually lead to cheaper, more effec- subspecies Saiga tatarica tatarica in Kazakhstan, one of tive, synthetic alternatives and save these animals from ex- S. t. tatarica in Kalmykia, Russia, and two of S.