As part of a scientific internship at the West Georgian Center of Chromatography at Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, research on biologically active compounds of medicinal plants with prospects for application in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine is ongoing.

Using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), extracts from the leaves and buds of balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) were analyzed during the very first days of the internship. The study identified a wide range of biologically active compounds, including apigenin, pinocembrin, acacetin, naringenin, rutin, quercetin and apigenin glycosides, as well as several phenolic compounds and their derivatives. These compounds are known to possess pronounced antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory properties.

The obtained results confirm the high potential of phytogenics based on balsam poplar and other plants for the development of innovative veterinary preparations and feed additives aimed at improving animal productivity, strengthening immunity, preventing mastitis, and reducing antibiotic use in livestock production.

The identified compounds are also of particular interest for beekeeping. Flavonoids and phenolic compounds present in poplar buds and constituting natural propolis are known to enhance the natural resistance of bee colonies and exhibit antimicrobial, antifungal, and antioxidant activities. The use of phytogenics may be promising for the prevention and integrated control of such bee diseases and infestations as varroosis, nosemosis, acarapidosis, tropilaelapsosis, as well as bacterial and fungal infections. In addition, plant-derived bioactive compounds can reduce stress in bee colonies, improve their vitality, and contribute to successful overwintering.

In addition to veterinary medicine and beekeeping, the identified compounds are of considerable interest to the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries, as well as for the development of natural preservatives, biopesticides, functional foods, and preventive health products.

It should be noted that the initiator of phytogenic and phytobiotic research within our scientific group is Professor Vladilen V. Polyakov, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, who laid the foundation for studying biologically active compounds of medicinal plants and their practical application in veterinary medicine and animal husbandry. Today, these studies are successfully continuing using modern analytical methods, the results of which make it possible to develop new domestic products for the agro-industrial sector and related industries.

Research in the field of phytogenics opens new opportunities for the development of environmentally friendly, resource-saving, and import-substituting technologies in agriculture, veterinary medicine, beekeeping, and the food industry.