Special Issue "Recent Advances in Intestinal Mucin Research"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marcin Barszcz
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Instytucka 3, 05-110 Jabłonna, Poland
Interests: nutrition; pigs; poultry; rats; gut health; intestinal immunity; microbiota activity; bioactive compounds; probiotics; prebiotics
Dr. Anna Tus̈nio
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Instytucka 3, 05-110 Jabłonna, Poland
Interests: pigs; chickens; rats; nutrition; feed additives; bioactive substances; legumes; potato protein; fibre; gastrointestinal tract; large intestine; fermentation bacterial enzymes
Dr. Ewa Święch
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Instytucka 3, 05-110 Jabłonna, Poland
Interests: pigs; mucin; goblet cells; gastrointestinal tract; amino acids; dietary fiber; digestibility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mucins are the main component of mucus, and are responsible for its protective functions, and thus contribute considerably to gut health. They are high-molecular-weight glycoproteins encoded by many mucin genes, the expression of which can be affected by nutrients and microbial metabolites. Mucus formed by different types of mucins covers the absorptive area and constitutes a physical barrier for pathogens and other detrimental factors. Thus, it is an important component of the innate immunity. It also provides an environment for the intestinal microbiota. The mucus layer undergoes permanent degradation and renewal, and changes in its properties may affect the absorption of nutrients, endogenous macromolecules, and ions.

Owing to the importance of mucins for gut health, many studies have been performed on livestock and laboratory animals. However, there are still many aspects that require further research or remain unknowns.

The aim of this Special Issue is to improve our knowledge in the field of intestinal mucins and protective mucus layer in livestock and laboratory animals. Therefore, we invite high-quality original research providing new insights on this topic, including the effects of nutritional factors on goblet cell count and their physiology, mucin concentration, mucin gene expression, mucolytic activity of microbiota, the relationship between microbial metabolites and mucus layer thickness, and others. Submissions focusing on in vitro studies using intestinal cell lines, as well as new methods used for mucin-related studies, are also welcomed.

Dr. Marcin Barszcz
Dr. Anna Tus̈nio
Prof. Ewa Święch
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 papers will be 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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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 monthly 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 1800 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

  • mucus layer
  • mucin
  • goblet cells
  • gene expression
  • microbiota
  • nutrition
  • intestinal barrier
  • gut health

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Growth Performance, Biochemical Blood Indices, and Large Intestine Physiology of Rats Fed Diets with Alfalfa Protein-Xanthophyll Concentrate
Animals 2021, 11(7), 2069; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11072069 - 12 Jul 2021
Viewed by 914
Abstract
The effect of dietary levels of alfalfa protein-xanthophyll concentrate (PXC) was determined in growing rats. Three groups of eight four-week-old male Wistar rats, with an average initial body weight of 61 g, were fed for 28 days either natural-ingredient diets without PXC or [...] Read more.
The effect of dietary levels of alfalfa protein-xanthophyll concentrate (PXC) was determined in growing rats. Three groups of eight four-week-old male Wistar rats, with an average initial body weight of 61 g, were fed for 28 days either natural-ingredient diets without PXC or supplemented with 1.5% or 3% PXC. Growth performance, blood biochemistry, caecal fermentation, morphology of the large intestine, and mucin gene expression were evaluated. PXC did not affect growth performance but tended to decrease relative liver weight. Among biochemical blood parameters, only bilirubin decreased and uric acid increased in response to 1.5% and 3% PXC, respectively. Caecal fermentation was not affected, with the exception of isovaleric acid concentration, which tended to be higher in rats fed the diet containing 3% PXC. Colonic crypts tended to be deeper in rats fed the 3% PXC diet and the thickness of the colonic mucus layer was reduced by both PXC levels. In conclusion, PXC did not affect growth performance or caecal fermentation but decreased thickness of the protective mucus layer in the colon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Intestinal Mucin Research)
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