Scientific guidelines for preclinical research on potentised preparations manufactured according to current pharmacopoeias-the PrePoP guidelines.

OBJECTIVE Pharmacopoeias regulate the manufacture of potentised pharmaceutical preparations used in different branches of complementary and integrative medicine. The physicochemical properties and biological activity of these preparations are often investigated in preclinical research, yet no guidelines for experimental research currently exist in this area. The present PrePoP guidelines aim to provide recommendations to promote high-quality, statistically sound, and reproducible preclinical research on potentised preparations. METHODS Input was gathered from researchers nominated by the relevant scientific societies using a simplified Delphi consensus approach covering the most relevant aspects of basic research methodology in the field including appropriate controls, sample preparation and handling, and statistics. After three rounds of feedback, a consensus was finally reached on the most important aspects and considerations for conducting high-quality research on potentised preparations. RESULTS We present a series of recommendations on a range of topics including experimental controls, system stability, blinding and randomisation, environmental influences, and procedures for the preparation of potentised samples and controls, and we address some specific challenges of this research field. CONCLUSION This expert consensus process resulted in a robust set of methodological guidelines for research on potentised preparations and provides a valuable framework that will inform and improve the quality of subsequent research in this emerging field. PLEASE CITE THIS ARTICLE AS Tournier AL, Bonamin LV, Buchheim-Schmidt S, Cartwright S, Dombrowsky C, Doesburg P, Holandino C, Kokornaczyk MO, van de Kraats EB, López-Carvallo JA, Nandy P, Mazón-Suástegui JM, Mirzajani F, Poitevin B, Scherr C, Thieves K, Würtenberger S, Baumgartner S. Scientific guidelines for preclinical research on potentised preparations manufactured according to current pharmacopoeias-the PrePoP guidelines. J Integr Med. 2024; Epub ahead of print

Aquacultural Homoeopathy: A Focus on Marine Species

Homoeopathy is an alternative medical system proposed by Samuel Hahnemann in the eighteenth century. It uses highly diluted and agitated substances that derived from plants, minerals or animals, which have shown to be effective in human medicine, agronomy, veterinary, and as a novelty, in marine aquaculture. Aquacultural homoeopathy has developed rapidly in recent years, partially motivated by the misuse of powerful drugs (hormones, antibiotics, disinfectants) that when solving a problem generate undesirable side effects. In the last 10 years, scientific articles have been published on its application in freshwater fish native to Brazil, obtaining beneficial effects on growth, survival, hepatosomatic index, development of muscle fibres and lipid content in muscle. At Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR, Mexico: www.cibnor.mx), we have studied the effects of homoeopathy to improve the culture of economically important marine species of molluscs, fish and shrimp. In this chapter, we show a selection of different research with preliminary or advanced results, related to the use of homoeopathy and its impact on zootechnic, biochemical, genomic and transcriptomic parameters in marine molluscs, fish and crustaceans. The results obtained suggest that homoeopathy is an eco-friendly alternative applicable in aquaculture industry to improve various productive and health aspects

Efecto de medicamentos homeopáticos sobre crecimiento, supervivencia y microbiota gastrointestinal, en juveniles del pectínido Argopecten ventricosus.

Objetivo. Estudiar el efecto de medicamentos homeopáticos sobre el crecimiento, supervivencia y microbiota del tracto gastrointestinal (TGI) de almeja Catarina Argopecten ventricosus. Materiales y Métodos. Se aplicaron cinco tratamientos homeopáticos derivados de bacterias [(T1) ViP-ViA 1D, (T2) ViP-ViA 7C], minerales [(T3) AcF-MsS 1D, (T4) PhA-SiT 7C], o venenos [(T5) ViT 31C] y tres controles: (C1) etanol diluido 1:99, (C2) etanol dinamizado 1C y (C3) agua destilada. La microbiota se determinó secuenciando la región V3-V5 del gen 16S rRNA. Resultados. El mayor crecimiento en longitud de la concha correspondió a T1 (117 µm d-1) y T2 (108 µm d-1), la mayor supervivencia a T3 y T5 y el mejor resultado global a T3. Las curvas de rarefacción de los grupos tratados y controles mostraron una clara separación. Se encontraron diferencias significativas (p≤0.05) entre filos (Proteobacteria > Actinobacteria > Firmicutes > Bacterloidetes> Chloroflexi y para los Géneros: Symbiobacterium > Microbacterium > Methylobacillus > Bacillus > Paenibacillus > Burkholderia > Nostoc > Methylobacterium > Leucobacter). El género Symbiobacterium fue dominante (p≤0.05) para T5, respecto a todos los tratamientos y grupos controles. La especie Microbacterium maritypicum (Actinobacteria) mostró la mayor abundancia relativa (p≤0.05) en T1 y T3 y Symbiobacterium toebii (Firmicutes) en T5 y T2 (p≤0.05), ambas con respecto al inicio del estudio T0. Conclusiones. Se presenta por primera vez la composición de la microbiota del TGI de A. ventricosus y la aplicabilidad potencial de la homeopatía para mejorar el rendimiento productivo y modular la microbiota gastrointestinal de la especie

Transcriptome analysis of Catarina scallop (Argopecten ventricosus) juveniles treated with highly-diluted immunomodulatory compounds reveals activation of non-self-recognition system.

Marine bivalve hatchery productivity is continuously challenged by apparition and propagation of new diseases, mainly those related to vibriosis. Disinfectants and antibiotics are frequently overused to prevent pathogen presence, generating a potential negative impact on the environment. Recently, the use of highly diluted compounds with immunostimulant properties in marine organisms has been trailed successfully to activate the self-protection mechanisms of marine bivalves. Despite their potential as immunostimulants, little is known about their way of action. To understand their effect, a comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed with Argopecten ventricosus juveniles. The experimental design consisted of four treatments formulated from pathogenic Vibrio lysates at two dilutions: [(T1) Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus 1D; (T2) V. parahaemolyticus and V. alginolyticus 7C]; minerals [(T3) PhA+SiT 7C], scorpion venom [(T4) ViT 31C]; and one control (C1) hydro-alcoholic solution (ethanol 1%). The RNA sequencing (RNAseq) analysis showed a higher modulation of differentially expressed genes (DEG) in mantle tissue compared to gill tissue. The scallops that showed a higher number of DEG related to immune response in mantle tissue corresponded to T1 (V. parahaemolyticus and V. alginolyticus lysate) and T3 (Silicea terra® - Phosphoric acid®). The transcriptome analysis allowed understanding some interactions between A. ventricosus juveniles and highly-diluted treatments