Microbial and Nutrition Metabolism in Animals

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 381

Editors

Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Nutrition and Animal Health, National Center for International Research on Animal Gut Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
Interests: ruminant nutrition; microbial metabolism; microbe–host interaction; microorganisms and the environment; antioxidants
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Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: lipid metabolism; host–microbiome interaction; ruminant nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Livestock play an essential role in global food systems, and their feed efficiency, health, and productivity are strongly shaped by the metabolic activities of gastrointestinal microorganisms. Despite rapid advances in microbiome research, the mechanistic links between microbial communities, host metabolism, and environmental outputs remain incompletely understood. Elucidating these interactions is critical for improving nutrient utilization, reducing emissions, and promoting sustainable and healthy animal production.

This Special Issue focuses on metabolomics-driven insights into host–microbiome interactions in livestock, with particular emphasis on ruminants, as well as monogastric species such as pigs and poultry. It aims to uncover how microbial community structure, functional genes, and metabolite profiles regulate nutrient digestion, energy metabolism, immune function, and environmental impacts.

The scope includes, but is not limited to, the following: gastrointestinal microbiota and fermentation processes; microbial metabolite profiling; microbial protein synthesis; lipid and amino acid metabolism; methane and other emission-related metabolic pathways; dietary modulation of the microbiome; host–microbe metabolic crosstalk; microbiota-related environmental effects; and multi-omics approaches (especially metabolomics, metagenomics, and integrated omics) in animal nutrition and physiology.

In line with the aims of Metabolites, we particularly encourage studies that elucidate metabolic pathways, identify key metabolites or biomarkers, and apply advanced analytical and systems biology approaches to understand metabolic regulation in livestock systems.

We welcome original research articles, reviews, and short communications that present innovative findings. This Special Issue seeks to provide theoretical foundations and practical strategies for precision nutrition, improved animal health, and the sustainable development of livestock production systems.

Dr. Zhiming Xu
Dr. Xiaoge Sun
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • ruminant nutrition
  • microbial metabolism
  • lipid metabolism
  • rumen microbiota
  • microbial fermentation
  • microbiome
  • microbe–host
  • microorganisms and the environment

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 8969 KB  
Article
Effects of Dietary Peganum harmala Stem Ethanolic Extract on Serum Inflammatory and Antioxidant Markers, Duodenal Metabolomic Features, and Hepatic Transcriptomic Profiles in Hu Sheep
by Bo Wang, Cunxi Nie, Yanfeng Liu, Rongyan Qin, Wenqi Wang and Yanfen Cheng
Metabolites 2026, 16(8), 591; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo16080591 - 19 Aug 2026
Viewed by 133
Abstract
Background: Peganum harmala L. stem ethanolic extract (PHL) has been scarcely evaluated as a ruminant feed component. We evaluated its effects on serum inflammatory and antioxidant biomarkers and duodenal and hepatic molecular responses in Hu sheep. Methods: Twelve male Hu sheep, approximately [...] Read more.
Background: Peganum harmala L. stem ethanolic extract (PHL) has been scarcely evaluated as a ruminant feed component. We evaluated its effects on serum inflammatory and antioxidant biomarkers and duodenal and hepatic molecular responses in Hu sheep. Methods: Twelve male Hu sheep, approximately 120 days old, were randomly assigned to a control group or a PHL treatment group (n = 6 per group). After a 7-day adaptation period, the PHL group received 3 g/head/day of PHL (total flavonoid content: 65.7 mg rutin equivalents (RE)/g; approximately 197.1 mg RE/head/day) for 50 days. Serum markers, duodenal untargeted liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) metabolomics, liver RNA sequencing, and alternative splicing were analyzed. Results: Serum interleukin-6 and malondialdehyde were lower, whereas interleukin-4 and glutathione peroxidase were higher, in the PHL group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Using variable importance in projection ≥ 1, fold change ≥ 1.2 or ≤0.83, and unadjusted p < 0.05 as screening criteria, 479 LC–MS features met these nominal screening criteria, of which 81 had database annotations. Following Benjamini–Hochberg correction, only two features remained significant (q < 0.05); however, only one was successfully annotated, rendering the pathway analysis exploratory. Liver RNA sequencing identified 279 differentially expressed genes (absolute log2FC ≥ 1 and q ≤ 0.001) and 104 skipped-exon events (false discovery rate < 0.05). Functional enrichment analysis highlighted annotations related to bile secretion, ATP-binding cassette transport, nutrient metabolism, and glutathione metabolism. Conclusions: PHL supplementation was associated with selective changes in serum inflammatory and antioxidant biomarkers, accompanied by hepatic molecular responses. The duodenal metabolomic findings remain exploratory, and dose–response studies incorporating alkaloid quantification and targeted molecular validation are required before practical application can be considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial and Nutrition Metabolism in Animals)
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