REVIEW article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. One Health
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1642647
This article is part of the Research TopicEthnomedicinal Strategies for Controlling Pathogen Colonization in Livestock: Integrating Traditional Practices into Modern Livestock Health ManagementView all 3 articles
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Plant-Derived Bioactive Compounds as Sustainable Alternatives to Antibiotics in Bovine Mastitis: A Review
Provisionally accepted
Xuewei Fan1
Abdul Qadeer2*
Mohammed Asiri3
Fuad M Alzahrani4
Khalid Alzahrani4
Khalaf F Alsharif4
Muhammad Zahoor Khan5*Xin Jiang1*- 1Heilongjiang Agricultural Economy Vocational College, Mudanjiang, China, Mudanjiang, China
- 2School of Life Science, Central South University, Changsha, China
- 3Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia, Abha, Saudi Arabia
- 4Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia, Taif, Saudi Arabia
- 5Liaocheng University School of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng, China
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Bovine mastitis, an inflammatory condition of the mammary glands caused by diverse etiological agents, represents a significant economic challenge to the global dairy industry, resulting in annual losses of approximately $35 billion. While antibiotic therapy remains the conventional intervention for both prophylaxis and treatment, the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly the emergence of multidrug-resistant and methicillin-resistant strains, has compromised therapeutic efficacy. These developments pose substantial concerns regarding milk safety and public health implications. Consequently, research attention has shifted toward alternative therapeutic modalities, encompassing phytotherapeutic interventions, nutritional modifications, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Numerous plant species demonstrate significant antimicrobial properties while maintaining favourable safety profiles for humans, animals, and ecological systems. Complementary therapeutic approaches, including acupuncture and traditional herbal formulations, have exhibited promising potential in enhancing treatment outcomes and improving milk quality parameters. This review synthesizes current evidence on the integration of traditional Chinese medicine and plant-derived bioactive compounds into sustainable, holistic strategies for mastitis management, with implications for animal welfare, economic sustainability, and public health safety.
Keywords: Mastitis, antimicrobial resistance, antibiotics, Inflammatory changes, bioactive compounds, Traditional Chinese Medicine
Received: 06 Jun 2025; Accepted: 03 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Fan, Qadeer, Asiri, Alzahrani, Alzahrani, Alsharif, Khan and Jiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Abdul Qadeer, School of Life Science, Central South University, Changsha, China
Muhammad Zahoor Khan, Liaocheng University School of Agriculture and Biology, Liaocheng, China
Xin Jiang, Heilongjiang Agricultural Economy Vocational College, Mudanjiang, China, Mudanjiang, China
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