Intestinal Barrier Function in Animals: Tight Junctions, Microbiota and Nutritional Regulation
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 135
Special Issue Editor
Interests: microelements; selenium; selenitetriglyceride; ruminants; antioxidants; nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The intestinal barrier plays a fundamental role in maintaining animal health, productivity, and welfare. It serves as a critical interface between the external environment and the internal milieu, regulating nutrient absorption while preventing the translocation of pathogens and toxins. Disruption of intestinal integrity has been associated with impaired growth performance, increased susceptibility to disease, and a greater reliance on antimicrobial interventions.
In recent years, growing attention has been directed towards the mechanisms regulating intestinal barrier function, particularly the role of tight junction proteins (e.g., claudins, occludin, and zonula occludens proteins), the gut microbiota, and nutritional factors. Understanding these interactions is essential for developing effective strategies to support gut health, especially in the context of reducing antibiotic use in animal production.
In addition, increasing emphasis is being placed on the role of nutrition in improving nutrient digestibility and overall gut function. This includes the evaluation of measurable physiological and biochemical indicators, such as digestion-derived metabolites and markers assessed in blood or fecal samples, which may provide valuable insights into intestinal integrity and functionality.
This Special Issue aims to gather original research articles and reviews addressing the regulation, protection, and modulation of intestinal barrier function in animals. Particular emphasis will be placed on the interplay between nutrition, microbiota, and host physiology, as well as on practical aspects related to nutrient utilization and functional indicators of gut health.
Dr. Katarzyna Żarczyńska
Guest Editor
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
- intestinal barrier
- tight junctions
- gut health
- nutrition
- inflammation
- oxidative stress
- livestock
- feed additives
- digestibility
- feed efficiency
- metabolites
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