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Potential Role of Antioxidants and Advanced Management Strategies to Improve...
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Potential Role of Antioxidants and Advanced Management Strategies to Improve Animal Production, Reproduction, Health, and Welfare

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 9302

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Francesca Ciani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy
Interests: oxidative stress; animal reproduction; nutraceuticals; phytotherapy; animal welfare
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Karim El-Sabrout

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21545, Egypt
Interests: poultry and rabbit husbandry; behavior; welfare; nutrition; biotechnology; management; production

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oxidative stress is a state characterized by an altered modulation of free radicals that can cause many events that affect the health and welfare of animals, their production, and are often related to infertility. Animals have made up antioxidant defense systems composed of endogenous or exogenous compounds, which play a role in preventing the generation of free radicals, inactivating pro-oxidants, and limiting their deleterious effects by allowing the repair of oxidative damage. Deficiency in any part of the antioxidant defense system seems to result in a decrease in total antioxidant capacity. The manipulation of antioxidant mechanisms has been proposed as a strategy to protect health and well-being, ensure quality production, improve reproductive functions in vivo, and develop projects for use in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in vivo and in vitro, in livestock and pets.

We encourage the submission of original Articles, Reviews, Communications, Commentary, and Case reports, and contributions regarding studies aimed at the use of natural antioxidants and modern practical approaches to reduce stress on farm animals and pets, which can counteract the deleterious effects, especially of the reactive oxygen species, to ensure health and welfare in animals and sustainable production capacities.

Prof. Dr. Francesca Ciani
Dr. Karim El-Sabrout
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal welfare
  • animal feeding
  • animal production
  • management
  • environmental stresses
  • antioxidants
  • free radicals
  • One Health
  • product quality

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 570 KB  
Article
The Effect of Drinking Ionized Water on the Productive Performance, Physiological Status, and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chicks
by Abdullah Mohamed, Mohamed Khalil, Farid Soliman and Karim El-Sabrout
Animals 2025, 15(2), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15020229 - 16 Jan 2025
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3707 | Correction
Abstract
Water treatment technologies have received great attention recently, as water is the most important nutritional element, and animals consume it daily in larger quantities than those of food. The ideal water treatment affects the chemical composition and physical properties of water, having a [...] Read more.
Water treatment technologies have received great attention recently, as water is the most important nutritional element, and animals consume it daily in larger quantities than those of food. The ideal water treatment affects the chemical composition and physical properties of water, having a significant positive impact on the animal’s physiology, productivity, and welfare. Studies conducted on water ionization devices for broiler chickens remain limited; therefore, this study was planned to investigate the effect of ionized drinking water on the productive performance, physiological status, and carcass characteristics of broiler chicks. A total of 900 one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly and equally assigned to three groups, each with six replicates (50 birds/replicate). The first group (C) received tap drinking water and served as a control, while the second group (T1) received ionized drinking water from an ionizing device that worked for 1 h/100 L. The third group (T2) received ionized drinking water from an ionizing device that worked for 2 h/100 L. Water analysis for each treatment was performed. Productive traits, such as weekly body weight, feed intake, and water intake, were recorded. Hematological parameters and biochemical constituents were measured according to the reference’s description. Furthermore, carcass characteristics, such as carcass weight and dressing percentage, and bacterial count of the intestine, such as Lactobacilli and Coliform counts, were determined. From the results, ionized water (T1 and T2) had a negative ORP, which is often desirable as it suggests the presence of antioxidant properties and lower total dissolved solids (TDSs), heterotrophic plate count (HPC), and algal total count (ATC) than in tap water. The treated chicks showed higher final body weights and better feed conversion rates than the control. Ionized water also improved carcass quality characteristics, such as carcass weight and dressing percentage. T1 and T2 chicks exhibited higher hemoglobin, total protein, globulin, G and M immunoglobulin, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels, as well as lower malondialdehyde (MDA) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels than the control. Furthermore, they had lower pathogenic bacteria counts. Therefore, it is recommended to employ the ionizing approach for broiler chicken drinking water, particularly a 2 h/100 L ionization application, for better animal productivity, health, and welfare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Potential Role of Antioxidants and Advanced Management Strategies to Improve Animal Production, Reproduction, Health, and Welfare)
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Review

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14 pages, 954 KB  
Review
Effectual Environmental Enrichments for Commercial Broiler Chickens
by Seong W. Kang
Animals 2025, 15(19), 2829; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15192829 - 28 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1171
Abstract
Environmental enrichment, such as lighting, has affected the behaviors, welfare, and production of commercial broiler chickens. However, most studies have focused on constant light intensities to determine their effect on welfare and performance. Research indicates that the significant contrast of light intensities in [...] Read more.
Environmental enrichment, such as lighting, has affected the behaviors, welfare, and production of commercial broiler chickens. However, most studies have focused on constant light intensities to determine their effect on welfare and performance. Research indicates that the significant contrast of light intensities in broiler houses promotes pronounced daily patterns of behavior and activity, impacting broiler chicken health. Birds exhibited preference behaviors in bright-intensity light during active behaviors, such as eating and drinking, but in darker areas when resting. Light intensity preferences may be associated with the voluntary instinctive movement of birds by providing choices for birds. Increasing broiler chickens’ movement may boost welfare, especially leg health, which is a leading cause of culling and late mortality in commercial production. In this review, we discuss the progress and results of practical environmental enrichments, enrichment lighting, and huts in commercial broiler houses. We briefly address interpretations of improved welfare and performance and suggest directions for future research that may interest poultry scientists. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Potential Role of Antioxidants and Advanced Management Strategies to Improve Animal Production, Reproduction, Health, and Welfare)
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23 pages, 915 KB  
Review
Potential Epigenetic Impacts of Phytochemicals on Ruminant Health and Production: Connecting Lines of Evidence
by Sebastian P. Schreiber, Juan Villalba and Mirella L. Meyer-Ficca
Animals 2025, 15(12), 1787; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15121787 - 17 Jun 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2670
Abstract
The once mysterious “dark matter of nutrition”, comprising countless plant-derived secondary compounds, also known as phytochemicals, is now understood to have significant and wide-ranging effects on consumers, including myriad health benefits in humans and livestock. The selective consumption of phytochemically rich and diverse [...] Read more.
The once mysterious “dark matter of nutrition”, comprising countless plant-derived secondary compounds, also known as phytochemicals, is now understood to have significant and wide-ranging effects on consumers, including myriad health benefits in humans and livestock. The selective consumption of phytochemically rich and diverse plants, in appropriate doses, by ruminants represents an adaptive means of therapeutic and prophylactic self-medication. Due to their chemical structure, phytochemicals have long been recognized as antioxidants. However, the mechanisms that underlie numerous additional phytochemical-based health benefits are generally less understood. These effects (i.e., anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anticarcinogenic effects) are likely related to epigenetic processes. Evidence in humans and rodent models, as well as emerging ruminant data, has shown that phytochemicals can modulate gene expression by inhibiting or enhancing the activity of chromatin modifiers. The implication of adaptations with epigenetic mechanisms is significant as they are potentially heritable. We argue that heritable epigenetic changes, including “fetal programming”, are commonplace in ruminants under nutritional interventions. We also argue that these phenomena are significant for an industry that relies upon the efficient breeding and growth of offspring. We highlight emerging yet limited evidence and offer direction for future research. We explore interactions between the fields of plant secondary chemistry, ruminant nutrition, and molecular (epi)genetics and aim to familiarize researchers with the scope and foundational concepts of these emerging interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Potential Role of Antioxidants and Advanced Management Strategies to Improve Animal Production, Reproduction, Health, and Welfare)
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