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Metabolites
Special Issues
Nutritional and Metabolic Influences on Animal Growth and Reproduction
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Nutritional and Metabolic Influences on Animal Growth and Reproduction

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2025 | Viewed by 3417

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhipeng Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Interests: animal production; dairy science; meat quality; animal reproduction
Dr. Baichuan Deng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Interests: animal nutrition; metabolomics; microbiome; companion animals; pet food; dog (canine); cat (feline)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Animal growth and reproduction provide abundant animal-sourced products for human beings. Revealing the influence of nutrients and metabolites on animal growth and reproduction is an important way to understand the specific physiological and production processes of animals. Animals consume and transform low-quality feedstuffs and forage into high-quality protein and highly bioavailable essential minerals for energy, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and water in their life cycles. Nutrients and metabolites interact with each other to influence the growth, development, and health of mammals, birds, fish, and crustaceans and are also crucial for preventing and treating their metabolic disorders and infectious diseases. Metabolomics is a rapidly developing field that studies the low-molecular-weight metabolites present in organisms, tissues, or cells at a specific moment and under a particular environmental condition. Through high-throughput analysis of metabolites, researchers can reveal changes in metabolic states and pathways during animal growth, development, and reproduction, thereby providing a novel understanding of physiological and biochemical processes during animal growth, development, and reproduction. In addition, metabolites are the end products of gene expression and protein activity, and they directly reflect the internal state of the organism and the result of environmental interactions. Therefore, metabolomics is considered a bridge between genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics and the phenotype of organisms.

This Special Issue is devoted to metabolomics in animals, and the topics that will be covered include (not exclusively) studies on the metabolite changes during different physiological and biochemical processes or development processes; the metabolomic analyses of the influence of animals treated with different nutritional feed; mechanisms of adaptation to abiotic stresses such as heat and the mitigating effects of bio-stimulants; and the optimization and development of animal traits to enhance diet and health.

Dr. Zhipeng Li
Dr. Baichuan Deng
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 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. Metabolites 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 2700 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

  • metabolites
  • nutritional and metabolic influences
  • animal development
  • meat quality
  • dairy science
  • animal reproduction

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3201 KiB  
Article
Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Genetic Basis of Muscle Development and Meat Quality Traits in Chinese Congjiang Xiang and Landrace Pigs
by Jiada Yang, Qiaowen Tang, Chunying Sun, Qiuyue Li, Xiaoyu Li, Lu Hou, Yi Yang and Kang Yang
Metabolites 2025, 15(7), 426; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15070426 - 22 Jun 2025
Viewed by 324
Abstract
(1) Objectives: Understanding the genetic basis of muscle development and meat quality traits in divergent pig breeds is crucial for advancing precision breeding strategies. (2) Methods: This study investigated transcriptome differences in the longissimus dorsi muscle between Chinese Congjiang Xiang (CX) and Landrace [...] Read more.
(1) Objectives: Understanding the genetic basis of muscle development and meat quality traits in divergent pig breeds is crucial for advancing precision breeding strategies. (2) Methods: This study investigated transcriptome differences in the longissimus dorsi muscle between Chinese Congjiang Xiang (CX) and Landrace (LAN) pigs. RNA sequencing was performed on muscle tissues from ten individuals of each breed, generating 874.5 million raw reads with an average mapping rate of 89.3% to the pig reference genome. (3) Results: Transcriptional profiling revealed distinct expression patterns with 785 genes exclusively expressed in CX pigs and 457 genes unique to LAN pigs, while 7099 co-expressed genes were shared by both breeds. Differential expression analysis identified 2459 significantly different genes (|log2FC| ≥ 1, adjusted p-value < 0.05), with 1745 up-regulated and 714 down-regulated in CX pigs. Among the most significantly up-regulated genes in CX pigs were flavor-associated genes (ELOVL5/6, FASN, DGAT2, ALDH1A3, PPAR-γ) with log2FC values ranging from 1.21 to 3.88. GO and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that up-regulated genes in CX pigs were significantly enriched in immune response pathways (adjusted p-value < 0.01), while down-regulated genes were primarily associated with myosin complex formation and PPAR signaling pathway. PPI network analysis identified PPAR-γ as a central hub gene with 16 direct interactions to other flavor-related genes. (4) Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that the superior meat flavor characteristics of indigenous Chinese pigs are driven by enhanced expression of lipid metabolism genes and distinctive immune-related pathways, providing specific molecular targets for breeding programs aimed at improving meat quality while maintaining production efficiency in commercial breeds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Metabolic Influences on Animal Growth and Reproduction)
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14 pages, 8565 KiB  
Article
Role of Milk Intake in Modulating Serum Lipid Profiles and Gut Metabolites
by Ting Xu, Chang Zhang, Yufeng Yang, Liang Huang, Qingyou Liu, Ling Li, Qingkun Zeng and Zhipeng Li
Metabolites 2024, 14(12), 688; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14120688 - 7 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1163
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Milk is one of the main sources of nutrition in people’s daily diet, but the fat in milk raises health concerns in consumers. Here, we aimed to elucidate the impact of Buffalo milk and Holstein cow milk consumption on blood lipid health [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Milk is one of the main sources of nutrition in people’s daily diet, but the fat in milk raises health concerns in consumers. Here, we aimed to elucidate the impact of Buffalo milk and Holstein cow milk consumption on blood lipid health through metabolomics analysis. Methods: Golden hamsters were administered Murrah Buffalo milk (BM) or Holstein cow milk (HM), and the body weight and serum lipid indicators were tested and recorded. The hamsters receiving equal amounts of physiological saline were used as the negative control (NC). Serum and fecal samples were collected, and LC-MS was used to identify the metabolites in the samples. Results: The results showed that both the BM and HM groups exhibited a significant reduction in body weight compared to that of the NC group from day 9, and the serum TG, TC, and LDL-C levels were significantly lower than those of the NC group. Further analysis identified 564 and 567 metabolites in the serum and fecal samples shared in the BM and HM groups and significantly different from those in the NC group, which were mainly enriched in the pathways related to lipid metabolism, such as fatty acid biosynthesis, arachidonic acid metabolism, and primary bile acid biosynthesis. Correlation analysis further suggested that milk intake can increase the levels of Muramic Acid, Oleoyl Ethanolamide, Seratrodast, Chenodeoxycholic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid Ethyl Ester, and Deoxycholic Acid in the serum and gut microbiota, which may affect TG, TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C in the serum, and thereby benefit the body’s lipid health. Conclusions: The results further confirmed that milk intake has a beneficial effect on blood lipid health by altering multiple metabolites in the serum and the gut. This study provides novel evidence that milk consumption is beneficial to health and is a reference for guiding people to a healthy diet. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Metabolic Influences on Animal Growth and Reproduction)
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11 pages, 1801 KiB  
Article
Correlation of Red Blood Cell Morphology with Serum Cobalamin and Folate Concentration in Dogs with Chronic Diarrhea: A Retrospective Study
by Argyrios Ginoudis, Anna Maria Ioannidou, Dimitra Pardali, Asteria Tsikna and Zoe Polizopoulou
Metabolites 2024, 14(12), 657; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14120657 - 25 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1070
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Chronic diarrhea in dogs is a prevalent condition that significantly impacts canine health, often leading to weight loss, dehydration, and malnutrition. Diagnosing and treating chronic diarrhea is challenging due to its multifactorial nature, necessitating collaboration among veterinarians across various specialties. Measuring [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Chronic diarrhea in dogs is a prevalent condition that significantly impacts canine health, often leading to weight loss, dehydration, and malnutrition. Diagnosing and treating chronic diarrhea is challenging due to its multifactorial nature, necessitating collaboration among veterinarians across various specialties. Measuring cobalamin and folate levels is a crucial diagnostic step for all dogs with chronic diarrhea. The role of these vitamins in erythropoiesis is well-documented in human medicine, where deficiencies are linked to erythropoietic disorders and megaloblastic anemia. This study explores the relationship between cobalamin and folate concentrations with hematologic parameters in dogs with chronic diarrhea to develop novel diagnostic methods that facilitate timely decision making. Methods: Forty-seven adult dogs with a history of chronic diarrhea (2019–2023) were included in the study. Upon presentation, complete blood count and measurement of cobalamin and folate concentrations were performed. The correlation of cobalamin and folate levels with erythrocytic parameters, including hematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin concentration (HGB), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), red cell distribution width (RDW), and reticulocyte count, as well as morphological changes in the blood smear were examined. Results: Serum cobalamin was significantly correlated with RBC (p = 0.032), HGB (p = 0.006), HCT (p = 0.005), and MCV (p = 0.022). Anisocytosis was significantly correlated with hypocobalaminemia (p = 0.002), while acanthocytosis correlated with normal cobalamin levels (p = 0.046). No correlation was found between serum folate and erythrocytic parameters or morphological changes. Conclusions: These findings emphasize cobalamin’s potential role in canine erythropoiesis, highlighting the need for routine evaluation and supplementation when necessary. Conversely, the lack of association with folate suggests it plays a less significant role in this species. These results underscore the importance of complete blood count in the diagnostic investigation of dogs with chronic diarrhea. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Metabolic Influences on Animal Growth and Reproduction)
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Review

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12 pages, 894 KiB  
Review
Review: Piglets’ (Re)Feeding Patterns, Mineral Metabolism, and Their Twisty Tail
by Theo van Kempen and Eugeni Roura
Metabolites 2025, 15(7), 480; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15070480 - 16 Jul 2025
Viewed by 182
Abstract
The appearance rate of nutrients into systemic circulation affects hormones like insulin and through that efficiency of growth. This also affects mineral requirements critical for metabolism, notably phosphate (P), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K). Fasting animals have a downregulated metabolism, upon which P, [...] Read more.
The appearance rate of nutrients into systemic circulation affects hormones like insulin and through that efficiency of growth. This also affects mineral requirements critical for metabolism, notably phosphate (P), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K). Fasting animals have a downregulated metabolism, upon which P, Mg, and K are exported from their cells into the blood and are subsequently excreted in their urine. Abrupt resumption of feed intake, especially of highly glycemic feeds, creates an acute need for these minerals, which can result in deficiency symptoms, particularly with P deficiency. In human medicine, this is called refeeding syndrome: a large meal after a period of fasting can prove fatal. Young animals seem to be especially sensitive, likely driven by their ability to grow rapidly and thus to drastically upregulate their metabolism in response to insulin. Symptoms of P deficiency are fairly a-specific and, consequently, not often recognized. They include edema, which makes it appear as if piglets are growing well, explaining the high gain/feed rate typically seen immediately after weaning, even when piglets are eating at or below the maintenance requirements. Phosphate deficiency can also result in hypoxia and hypercarbia, which may trigger ear necrosis, Streptococcus suis infections, or even death. Hypophosphatemia can also trigger rhabdomyolysis, which may contribute to tail-biting, but this requires further study. Arguably, when fasting cannot be avoided, diets for newly weaned piglets should be formulated to avoid these problems by lowering their glycemic load and by formulating diets according to the piglets’ actual requirements inspired by their genuine intake and health and not simply by extrapolating from older animals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Metabolic Influences on Animal Growth and Reproduction)
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