Cabergoline Dosing for Ruminant Mammary Involution

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current antiprolactin compounds used in veterinary medicine cannot be administered during gestation due to deleterious effects on the fetus, limiting their use in promoting mammary involution and reducing lactation in ruminants.

Innovation Solution

A veterinary composition comprising cabergoline, a dopamine receptor agonist, is administered in a single dose to ruminants during gestation to induce a significant drop in lactation and promote mammary involution without causing abortifacient effects, thereby improving udder health and reducing mastitis risks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If antiprolactin compounds are administered to induce mammary involution and reduce lactation, then udder health and mammary involution are improved, but fetal safety deteriorates due to abortifacient effects during gestation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveudder healthVSAvoidfetal safety
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the dosing parameters of cabergoline, administering it at low doses (0.01-0.1 mg/day) divided into multiple small doses throughout the day, rather than higher single doses. This parameter change allows the drug to effectively reduce prolactin and induce mammary involution while minimizing abortifacient effects on the fetus during gestation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements periodic administration of cabergoline in multiple small doses distributed throughout the day (e.g., 3-4 doses per day), rather than a single large dose. This periodic dosing strategy maintains therapeutic prolactin suppression while reducing peak plasma concentrations that could cause fetal harm, thus resolving the contradiction between udder health improvement and fetal safety

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If antiprolactin compounds are avoided during gestation to ensure fetal safety, then fetal safety is maintained, but mammary involution and udder health deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefetal safetyVSAvoidmammary involution
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the dosing parameters by using lower total daily doses (0.01-0.1 mg) administered in divided portions, which maintains effective prolactin suppression for mammary involution while staying below thresholds that cause fetal harm, thus enabling treatment during gestation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs periodic multiple small-dose administration throughout the day, which sustains therapeutic drug levels for mammary involution while avoiding dangerous peak concentrations that would threaten fetal safety, thereby resolving the contradiction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

3Productivity

If a single high dose of antiprolactin compound is administered to quickly reduce lactation, then productivity improvement is achieved, but fetal safety and dosing precision deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelactation reduction efficiencyVSAvoidfetal safety
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the total daily cabergoline dose into multiple smaller individual doses administered throughout the day (e.g., morning, noon, evening, and bedtime doses). This segmentation achieves sustained lactation reduction effectiveness while preventing the high peak concentrations that would cause fetal harm, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity improvement and fetal safety

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements periodic administration of small doses at regular intervals throughout the day, which maintains consistent prolactin suppression for efficient lactation reduction while avoiding dangerous peak levels, thereby achieving both productivity improvement and fetal safety

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The composition effectively reduces lactation and promotes mammary involution in ruminants during gestation, improving udder health and reducing mastitis frequency without adverse effects on pregnancy or fetal development.

Implementation Method 1

cabergoline as a dopamine receptor agonist antiprolactinic compound

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDopamine receptor agonism:

Implementation Method 2

inhibitors of pituitary secretion of prolactin, a hormone that activates milk secretion

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectProlactin inhibition:

Data Source

PatentEP2349272B1Antiprolactinic veterinary composition for ruminants
Publication Date: 2019.01.16 CEVA SANTE ANIMALE SA
  • EP2349272B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2349272B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2349272B1 patent drawing

AI summary

The present invention relates to an antiprolactinic veterinary composition to be administered to ruminants. Said composition contains at least one antiprolactinic compound that is an agonist of dopamine receptors, and is particularly useful for promoting a substantial reduction in lactation, mammary involution, and for treating and/or preventing diseases or infections of the udder of ruminants.