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The Latest Development of Molecular Research in Animal Nutrition
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The Latest Development of Molecular Research in Animal Nutrition

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 4762

Editor

Dr. Mohammad Moniruzzaman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Biotechnology, Jeju National University, Jeju-si, Republic of Korea
Interests: animal nutrition; swine; fish; shellfishes; molecular biology; genomics; microbiome; immunology; nutritional toxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is supervised by Dr. Mohammad Moniruzzaman and assisted by Dr. Md Mortuza Hossain.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue entitled “The Latest Development of Molecular Research in Animal Nutrition” in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Recent advances in molecular biology and omics technologies have provided new insights into the intricate interactions between nutrients and gene expression, gut microbiota, metabolic regulation, and animal health. This research is revolutionizing the field of animal nutrition by enabling more precise, efficient, and sustainable feeding strategies.

This Special Issue aims to provide an advanced forum for original research and comprehensive reviews that delve into the molecular mechanisms underlying animal nutrition. In accordance with the International Journal of Molecular Sciences' emphasis on molecular biology, biochemistry, and molecular genetics, this collection will particularly highlight studies that employ innovative technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) to reveal the complex biological processes associated with nutrient utilization, feed efficiency, and metabolic health in animals. Our aim is to present high-quality articles that showcase recent breakthroughs and foster a deeper, molecular-level understanding of animal health, welfare, and sustainable food production.

In this Special Issue, we look forward to presenting innovative research that enhances our understanding of molecular nutrition and contributes to the development of next-generation nutritional solutions for animal production and health.

Dr. Mohammad Moniruzzaman
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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 nutrition
  • molecular biology
  • microbiome
  • feed efficiency
  • sustainable aquaculture
  • proteomics
  • metabolomics
  • molecular mechanisms
  • metabolic regulation
  • disease resistance
 

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3450 KB  
Article
Effects of Mulberry Leaf Extract on the Growth Performance, Organ Indices, Flesh Quality, Collagen Metabolism, and Myofiber Development of Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)
by Yan Lin, Qi’ao Song, Xizheng Sun, Wenqiang Jiang, Siyue Lu, Zhengyan Gu and Linghong Miao
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(15), 6904; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27156904 - 1 Aug 2026
Viewed by 223
Abstract
To investigate the effects of mulberry leaf extract (MLE) on the growth performance, organ indices, and flesh quality of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), a basal diet (Control, Crude protein 30.25%, Crude lipid 7.23%) and three MLE-supplemented diets containing 1%, 2%, and [...] Read more.
To investigate the effects of mulberry leaf extract (MLE) on the growth performance, organ indices, and flesh quality of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), a basal diet (Control, Crude protein 30.25%, Crude lipid 7.23%) and three MLE-supplemented diets containing 1%, 2%, and 4% MLE (MLE1%, MLE2%, MLE4%) were formulated. A total of 160 grass carp (259.7 ± 1.1 g) were randomly allocated into 16 cages (1 m × 1 m × 1.2 m), with 10 fish per cage and 4 replicate cages per treatment group. Throughout the 8-week feeding trial, juvenile grass carp were fed three times daily (08:00, 12:00, and 17:00) at a daily feeding rate of 1.5–2.0% body weight. At the end of the trial, growth performance was assessed. Additionally, four fish were randomly sampled from each cage to determine the organ indices, flesh quality parameters, and gene expression levels. In the results, the final average body weight of all groups ranged from 909.00 to 942.97 g, and all the groups exhibited no significant difference in growth performance (p > 0.05). MLE-supplemented groups had significantly decreased visceral somatic index and hepatic somatic index (p < 0.05). In terms of flesh quality, all MLE-supplemented groups increased the flesh shear force, springiness, whiteness, and lightness (p < 0.05). Compared with the Control group, the MLE4% group had increased flesh hardness, gumminess, and chewiness, from 2899.52 g, 1310.62, and 516.59 to 4122.99 g, 1958.48, and 887.76, respectively (p < 0.05). MLE significantly decreased the 48 h thawing loss (MLE2%), 96 h thawing loss (MLE1%, MLE2%, MLE4%), and flesh crude lipid content (MLE2%, MLE4%) (p < 0.05). In terms of collagen metabolism, compared with the Control group, MLE significantly increased the flesh collagen content (MLE2% and MLE4%) (p < 0.05), upregulated the expression level of La ribonucleoprotein 6 (MLE4%) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (MLE4%). Matrix metallopeptidase 2 was significantly downregulated in all MLE-supplemented groups (p < 0.05). In terms of myofiber development, compared with the Control group, the myofiber density was higher, and the myofiber diameter was lower in all MLE-supplemented groups (p < 0.05). MLE significantly upregulated the expression level of mammalian target of rapamycin (MLE4%), musculoskeletal embryonic nuclear protein 1 (MLE4%), myogenic differentiation 1 (MLE2%, MLE4%), and myogenic factor 5 (MLE1%, MLE2%, MLE4%) (p < 0.05). Myotubularin-related protein 8 was significantly downregulated in all MLE–supplemented groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 2–4% MLE improves the flesh textural properties, chroma and water-holding capacity of grass carp. MLE improves the flesh quality of grass carp by enhancing collagen deposition and myofiber development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Latest Development of Molecular Research in Animal Nutrition)
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21 pages, 4730 KB  
Article
Integrative Multi-Omics Reveal Silibinin Alleviates Heat Stress-Driven Hepatic Lipid Disruption in Laying Hens
by Jiang Gao, Hongrui Ren, Xuanfu Wu, Cunzhi Zou, Bin He and Wenqiang Ma
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(10), 4267; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104267 - 11 May 2026
Viewed by 650
Abstract
Heat stress (HS) has emerged as a major environmental stressor, inducing oxidative stress and hepatic steatosis and impairing production performance and health in laying hens, with limited evidence-based nutritional interventions available. This study investigated the hepatoprotective effects of dietary silibinin (SIL) against chronic [...] Read more.
Heat stress (HS) has emerged as a major environmental stressor, inducing oxidative stress and hepatic steatosis and impairing production performance and health in laying hens, with limited evidence-based nutritional interventions available. This study investigated the hepatoprotective effects of dietary silibinin (SIL) against chronic HS. In a 10-week trial, 252 43-week-old Hy-Line Brown hens were exposed to daily HS (32 ± 1 °C, temperature–humidity index [THI] > 73) and fed either a basal diet or one supplemented with 100 mg/kg SIL. SIL significantly increased laying rate (p < 0.05) and improved albumen height, Haugh units, and shell strength by week 8 (p < 0.05). Histological analysis showed a 48% reduction in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity score, with significantly decreased hepatic triglyceride content (p < 0.05); Oil Red O staining confirmed reduced lipid droplet accumulation. SIL restored redox balance by increasing plasma, hepatic total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (p < 0.05), increasing hepatic catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) levels while decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA) (p < 0.05). Untargeted plasma metabolomics identified 11 key metabolites related to 2-oxoglutarate and purine metabolism, while hepatic transcriptomics revealed 835 differentially expressed genes primarily in the PPAR signaling and fatty acid biosynthesis pathways. SIL suppressed de novo lipogenesis via downregulation of ACACA and FASN, and enhanced β-oxidation through upregulation of CPT1A and ACSL1 (p < 0.05). Molecular docking indicated favorable binding affinities between SIL and these targets, which was further supported by corresponding changes in protein expression via Western blotting. Correlation analysis revealed a consistent alignment between the upregulation of ACSL1/CPT1A and improvement in performance and antioxidant status, suggesting a coordinated metabolic shift. These findings emphasize the potential of SIL as a sustainable animal nutrition antioxidant additive, which can alleviate HS-induced lipid disorders in the liver of laying hens. Importantly, these hepatoprotective effects were demonstrated exclusively under chronic heat stress conditions; further studies incorporating a normothermic baseline are required to distinguish stress-specific mitigation from general metabolic stimulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Latest Development of Molecular Research in Animal Nutrition)
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Review

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32 pages, 1863 KB  
Review
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) as a Dietary Strategy for Enhancing Temperature Stress Resilience in Aquaculture Species
by Abayomi Oladimeji Ogun, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Hyuncheol Jeon, Haham Kim, Deni Aulia, Junhyeok Hur, Sooa Yoon, Suhyun Lee, Taesun Min and Seunghyung Lee
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(20), 10233; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262010233 - 21 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2796
Abstract
The sustainability of aquaculture is increasingly threatened by rising ocean temperatures occasioned by the continued prevalence of global warming, which can have severe consequences for fish health and productivity. Fish, as ectothermic organisms, are susceptible to temperature fluctuations and prolonged exposure to extreme [...] Read more.
The sustainability of aquaculture is increasingly threatened by rising ocean temperatures occasioned by the continued prevalence of global warming, which can have severe consequences for fish health and productivity. Fish, as ectothermic organisms, are susceptible to temperature fluctuations and prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures can lead to physiological disruptions, including altered metabolic rates, oxidative stress, and immune suppression, ultimately affecting their growth and reproductive success. In response, several strategies, including dietary supplementation, have been proposed to alleviate temperature stress in aquaculture. One such supplement, gamma (γ)-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a non-proteinogenic amino acid, has garnered attention for its potential to enhance stress resilience in aquatic species. In this review, we examine the physiological responses of fish to temperature stress and evaluate the role of GABA in alleviating non-temperature stress. By synthesizing the available evidence, we aim to highlight the potential of GABA as a dietary supplement to improve the resilience of farmed fish to temperature fluctuations, ultimately contributing to sustainable aquaculture in the face of climate change. GABA acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing stress. We not only spotlight GABA’s role in the central nervous system, where it has been shown to modulate stress responses by enhancing antioxidant defenses, improving growth performance, and boosting disease resistance, but also emphasize the limited exploration of its potential to mitigate temperature stress in some aquaculture species, particularly economically important fish like olive flounder. Finally, in this review, we provide additional insights into how GABA might help mitigate temperature stress by identifying factors that may influence its supplementation, thereby laying the groundwork for future research on its use as a potential tool for mitigating temperature stress in aquaculture species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Latest Development of Molecular Research in Animal Nutrition)
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