Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology最新文献

{"title":"Elevated maternal non-esterified fatty acid concentrations during late gestation are associated with altered skeletal muscle development and mitochondrial dynamics related-markers in calves.","authors":"Yu Zhang, Guiling Ma, Xiangyi Zhao, Zhiyong Hu, Yang Gai, Rui He, Shilong Huang, Shengyong Mao, Zhaobing Gu, Yanting Chen","doi":"10.1186/s40104-026-01422-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-026-01422-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Late gestation represents an important developmental window for fetal skeletal muscle formation, which is associated with postnatal body growth, metabolic health and mobility in offspring. Although elevated circulating non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) in dairy cows have been extensively studied in relation to milk production, their associations with fetal and neonatal skeletal muscle development remain unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Sixty healthy Holstein cows with similar body weight, parity and calving dates were enrolled in this study after dry-off, and retrospectively assigned to low NEFA (n = 30, 263 ± 8.8 μmol/L) and high NEFA group (n = 30, 379 ± 9.1 μmol/L) according to serum NEFA concentrations at 1, 3, 5, and 7 weeks after dry-off. Skeletal muscle was collected from calves at birth and at one month of age to assess the impacts on offspring muscle mass, fiber morphology and metabolic functions. C2C12 myoblasts were also used to assess the NEFA addition on myogenesis in vitro.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Cows with high NEFA (within the physiological prepartum range) in the dry period had no effect on calf birth weight (P = 0.15), but exhibited reduced biceps femoris (P = 0.05) and semitendinosus muscle mass (P < 0.01). Moreover, calves in the high-NEFA group shifted the muscle fiber composition, characterized by a lower proportion of fast-twitch fibers (P < 0.01) and a higher proportion of slow-twitch fibers (P = 0.01). The protein abundance of mitochondrial fission-related markers dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) and mitochondrial fission protein 1 (FIS1), as well as stimulator of interferon genes (STING)-associated inflammatory markers, was increased in skeletal muscle tissue of calves born to high-NEFA cows (P < 0.01). These alterations were persistently observed at one month of age. In vitro, NEFA supplementation reduced myogenic differentiation and fast-twitch myofiber formation (P < 0.01), while increasing the expression of mitochondrial dynamics-related genes and inflammatory markers (P < 0.01).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Overall, this study reveals that the calves born to mothers with elevated NEFA during the dry period are associated with altered skeletal muscle development and changes in the expression of mitochondrial dynamics- and inflammation-related markers.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13248329/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148207139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-trait GWAS of reaction norm parameters reveals environment-responsive loci influencing reproductive performance in heifers.","authors":"Lucio F M Mota, Leonardo M Arikawa, Daniel J A Santos, Luiz F Brito, Larissa F S Fonseca, Henrique N Oliveira, Lucia G Albuquerque","doi":"10.1186/s40104-026-01428-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-026-01428-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Reproductive efficiency in Nellore heifers is fundamental to the profitability and sustainability of beef production in tropical regions, where environmental stress can cause genotype-environment (G×E) interactions that affect fertility. Using 200,258 and 299,885 phenotypic records for heifer early pregnancy (HP) and heifer rebreeding (HR), respectively, we investigated the genetic basis of reproductive plasticity via single-step genomic reaction norms across a continuous environmental gradient (EG) defined from yearling weight records as a proxy for environmental quality. Genomic analyses included 22,556 animals (21,456 females and 1,100 sires) with genotypes imputed to 409,617 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We then performed genome-wide association analyses of the reaction norm intercept (genetic merit) and slope (environmental sensitivity), followed by multi-trait summary analyses and Bayesian fine-mapping of significant loci using imputed whole-genome sequence variants within ±100 kb windows around lead SNPs.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Heritability for both traits increased with environmental quality, indicating environment-dependent expression of genetic variance. Genetic correlations for HP and HR across the environmental gradient ranged from 0.15 to 0.98, supporting substantial G×E interactions and reranking between low and high environmental conditions. Multi-trait analyses of reaction norm parameters identified 482 significant signals for the intercept and 700 for the slope. Intercept-associated loci were enriched for lipid metabolism, embryonic development, estrous regulation, and hypothalamic-pituitary signaling, whereas slope-associated loci highlighted endocrine signaling, metabolic plasticity, and neuroendocrine feedback responsive to contrasting post-weaning nutritional and management conditions captured by the EG. Fine-mapping refined associations to 146 (intercept) and 149 (slope) putative loci for HP, and 117 (intercept) and 167 (slope) for HR, supported by high posterior probabilities and Bayes factors. Candidate variants mapped to endocrine and metabolic regulators, including IGF1, LEP, GHRL, GNRHR, KISS1, MAPK3, PLAG1, INSR, and LHCGR.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>G × E interactions play a key role in shaping the genetic architecture of reproductive efficiency in Nellore heifers. Integrating reaction norm, multi-trait GWAS, and fine-mapping highlighted loci, affecting both genetic merit and environmental sensitivity of fertility, providing targets to select more resilient Nellore females for tropical systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13244917/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148201338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanistic understanding of female reproductive aging based on the chicken model.","authors":"Junnan Zhang, Mingyue Gao, Congjiao Sun, Ning Yang","doi":"10.1186/s40104-026-01435-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-026-01435-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Female reproductive aging is a fundamental biological process characterized by a progressive decline in ovarian function, oocyte quality, and endocrine homeostasis, ultimately leading to reduced fertility and increased susceptibility to age-related diseases. Accumulating evidence indicates that reproductive aging is not merely a passive consequence of time but rather a tightly regulated process governed by complex genetic, epigenetic, and metabolic mechanisms. However, mechanistic dissection and translational exploration of female reproductive aging remain constrained by the limited availability of suitable animal models that faithfully recapitulate the human reproductive trajectory. In this review, we synthesize the current advances in understanding the molecular regulatory networks underlying female reproductive aging, with particular emphasis on key signaling pathways, cellular senescence, epigenetic regulation, hormonal control, and mitochondrial dysfunction coupled with oxidative stress. We highlight how the dysregulation of these interconnected mechanisms contributes to ovarian reserve depletion, follicular atresia, and declining oocyte competence across species. We propose that laying hens are a powerful and underutilized model for studying female reproductive aging. Laying hens exhibit a well-defined and highly reproducible reproductive lifespan characterized by distinct phases of peak and declining reproductive output, closely paralleling the age-related fertility decline in women. At the molecular level, hens share conserved regulatory features with humans, including hormonal signaling via the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, age-associated oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and epigenetic modulation of reproductive tissues. The daily ovulation cycle, measurable reproductive output, and responsiveness to metabolic and environmental interventions in hens further facilitate high-resolution and high-throughput investigations into aging-related mechanisms. By integrating evidence from human studies, mammalian models, and avian systems, this review highlights the translational value of laying hens in elucidating conserved genetic and epigenetic drivers of female reproductive aging. We discuss the current limitations and future perspectives for cross-species validation and multi-omics integration, aiming to facilitate the identification of actionable targets for delaying reproductive aging and improving female reproductive health.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13242674/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148195270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated gut metagenomic and muscle proteomic analysis reveals the role of dietary fermented extruded brewers' spent grain in enhancing pork quality through the gut-muscle axis.","authors":"Yang Liu, Yueqin Xie, Jianqi Yang, Yu Deng, Dongyun Liu, Junlei Chang, Jiayong Tang, Hua Zhao, Xiaoling Chen, Gang Tian, Guangmang Liu, Jingyi Cai, Gang Jia","doi":"10.1186/s40104-026-01429-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-026-01429-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The fact that feeding pigs with probiotic-fermented agricultural by-products improves pork quality has been repeatedly demonstrated and widely applied, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study explored the effects of fermented extruded brewers' spent grain (FEBSG) on meat quality in growing-finishing pigs, as well as its regulatory mechanisms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Sixty Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire pigs (52.25 ± 2.10 kg) were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments, in which FEBSG replaced 0, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% of soybean meal (SBM). The experiment spanned 10 weeks.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared with the control, 20% FEBSG significantly increased final body weight, average daily feed intake, and average daily gain, while decreasing feed to gain ratio (P < 0.05). Both 15% and 20% FEBSG improved carcass characteristics and meat quality, including higher carcass weight, loin eye area, and intramuscular fat content, along with lower drip loss and shear force (P < 0.05). These treatments also enhanced flavor-related amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.05), and improved umami and sweet taste profiles. Moreover, 20% FEBSG increased muscle fiber density and reduced fiber diameter, upregulated MyHC I, MyHC IIa, PGC-1α, AMPKα1, TFAM, and SDH activity, and downregulated MyHC IIb and LDH activity (P < 0.05). Proteomic analysis identified 69 differentially expressed proteins, with enrichment in AMPK and PPAR signaling pathways. Metagenomic analysis revealed increased abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, including Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Prevotella, and Bartonella. Correlation analysis demonstrated associations between gut microbiota diversity and meat quality traits, as well as between dominant microbial genera and differentially expressed proteins, volatile fatty acids, muscle fiber characteristics, and the AMPK/PGC-1α/TFAM signaling pathway.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Partial replacement of SBM with FEBSG positively influenced growth performance and pork quality in pigs, with the underlying mechanisms may involve the activation of the AMPK/PGC-1α/TFAM signaling pathway via the gut-muscle axis, thereby enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis, muscle development, and metabolism.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13242122/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148177277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Near-complete inhibition of rumen methanogenesis via microbial and enzymatic modulation using a low dose of Asparagopsis taxiformis combined with 3-nitrooxypropanol.","authors":"Shuai Li, Yi Sun, Xiong Tong, Zhifei Zhang, Xinyan Ma, Dagang Li, Li Min","doi":"10.1186/s40104-026-01430-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-026-01430-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Enteric methane (CH₄) from ruminants represents a major contributor to agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. The red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis (A. taxiformis) is a highly effective CH₄ emission inhibitor, but its large-scale application is restricted by limited biomass availability. This study evaluated whether reducing the inclusion level of A. taxiformis (0.32% dry matter, DM) combined with 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP; 0.05% DM) could maintain a high inhibitory efficacy, and elucidated the underlying microbial mechanisms through in vitro fermentation and metagenomics analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The combined treatment decreased CH₄ production by 98.21% (P < 0.01) without impairing DM degradation, and markedly shifted rumen fermentation towards propionate, lowering the acetate-to-propionate ratio (1.59 vs. 2.65; P < 0.01). Metagenomic profiling revealed substantial reductions in the abundance of Methanobrevibacter and Ruminococcus, along with increased levels of propionate-associated bacteria such as Prevotella, Treponema, Eubacterium, and Selenomonas (P < 0.01). Functionally, the combined treatment downregulated key enzymes in hydrogenotrophic and methylotrophic methanogenesis, including methyl-coenzyme M reductase (EC:2.8.4.1) and tetrahydromethanopterin S-methyltransferase (EC:2.1.1.86), thereby blocking terminal methanogenic steps.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Collectively, these results demonstrate that co-supplementation with A. taxiformis and 3-NOP achieves near-complete methanogenesis inhibition at drastically reduced seaweed dosage through coordinated changes in fermentation patterns, microbial community structure, and methanogenic enzymatic pathways. This approach provides a practical strategy to overcome biomass limitations of A. taxiformis and warrants validation in long-term in vivo trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13237891/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148165751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Icariin shapes post-withdrawal fecal resistome dynamics in layer hens.","authors":"Jiaqi Zhang, Xiaohan Shi, Siyi Peng, Chi Zhang, Shiyan Qiao, Haitao Yu","doi":"10.1186/s40104-026-01433-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-026-01433-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>While the livestock industry actively seeks alternatives to antibiotics, residual low-dose exposures continue to drive the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Icariin, a plant-derived compound, is recognized for improving poultry growth and immunity. However, it remains unclear how this compound influences the environmental persistence of ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) during the vulnerable recovery phase after antibiotic withdrawal.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We designed a two-phase feeding trial with laying hens, using longitudinal metagenomic sequencing to track post-withdrawal resistance dynamics. Following initial exposure to a low-dose antibiotic mixture that established a baseline of elevated resistance, hens received either a basal diet, an icariin-supplemented diet, or a copper sulfate-supplemented diet. The data indicate that icariin supplementation consistently reduced the burdens of both ARGs and MGEs. It also suppressed the potential for HGT and restricted the diversity of microbial hosts harboring these resistance elements. Conversely, copper sulfate-a traditional metal-based additive-exacerbated resistance risks by expanding both the abundance and the host range of ARGs and MGEs. Across all treatments, the population of Escherichia and the prevalent ARG subtype bacA correlated strongly with total resistance loads, tracking the overall resistome burden.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Compared to conventional copper sulfate treatments, icariin facilitates a safer ecological recovery in the poultry gut by actively lowering ARG and MGE reservoirs after antibiotic withdrawal. These genomic insights, combined with its known physiological benefits, support icariin as a sustainable feed additive. Furthermore, the Escherichia-bacA correlation provides a reliable, streamlined indicator for monitoring resistance risks in farm environments. However, as these findings rely on short-term fecal metagenomic tracking, further validation through multi-environment studies is warranted.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13234970/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148159178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamic cellular heterogeneity revealed through a time-resolved single-cell atlas: assessment of porcine intestinal organoids as an in vitro model for deoxynivalenol and zearalenone.","authors":"Tae Hong Kang, Jung Woong Yoon, Seung Joon Lim, Chae Hyun Lee, Yo Han Lee, Suhyeon Yun, Heejun Jung, Hyun Jun Jang, Tae Hyun Kim, Sang In Lee","doi":"10.1186/s40104-026-01424-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-026-01424-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Intestinal epithelial cells are supported by dynamic cellular heterogeneity, which is critical for maintaining intestinal homeostasis. Recently, intestinal organoid models have gained attention as in vitro platforms because they can recapitulate the structural, functional, and cellular complexity of the small intestine. In this study, we developed porcine intestinal organoids and investigated time-dependent transcriptomic changes using single-cell RNA sequencing. Furthermore, to assess their applicability as an in vitro toxicity model, the organoids were exposed to the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol and zearalenone.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The established organoids exhibited stable long-term culture up to passage 10 (32 d) and showed high genetic similarity to native small intestinal tissue across three regions: the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. In various intestinal epithelial cell types, including transit-amplifying cells, enteroendocrine cells, goblet cells, Paneth cells, and other epithelial cell types, were identified in the organoids. Single-cell RNA sequencing classified the organoids into multiple distinct cell populations, including stem cells, transit-amplifying cells, secretory progenitors, enterocytes, enteroendocrine cells, goblet cells, and Paneth cells, demonstrating dynamic cellular heterogeneity. The organoids also recapitulated key intestinal functions, such as nutrient absorption and epithelial barrier formation, similar to those of the native small intestinal epithelium. Under these conditions, the cytotoxic effects of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone were evaluated. Treatment with these mycotoxins resulted in decreased cell viability, impaired intestinal barrier function, and altered rates of proliferation and differentiation, including those of enteroendocrine, goblet, and Paneth cell populations.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study provides fundamental insights into the growth and differentiation of small intestinal epithelial cells by analyzing timeline-specific organoids using single-cell sequencing. Additionally, it evaluates the toxicity of mycotoxins under conditions that closely resemble those of the small intestine, providing more physiologically relevant data than existing in vitro models and serving as a reliable toxicity assessment model.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13231639/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148152364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prediction of disease resilience of pigs using multi-omics data.","authors":"Yulu Chen, Steven Lonergan, Kyu-Sang Lim, Jian Cheng, Elda Dervishi, Michael K Dyck, Edward Steadham, PigGen Canada, Frederic Fortin, John C S Harding, Graham S Plastow, Jack C M Dekkers","doi":"10.1186/s40104-026-01416-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-026-01416-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Genomic prediction is widely used in pig breeding, but phenotypic prediction of complex traits such as disease resilience remains limited because genotypes alone do not capture infection-induced regulatory responses, environmental and management effects, or their interactions. Blood molecular profiles measured in young healthy pigs reflect both genetic and non-genetic influences and may improve prediction of performance under disease challenge. We evaluated whether integrating multiple blood-based omics layers with genomic data improves prediction of production and disease resilience phenotypes in pigs exposed to a polymicrobial disease challenge.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data were from 836 healthy pigs from 15 batches with transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic profiles measured in blood collected at ~27 days of age, before transfer into a natural polymicrobial disease challenge at ~40 days of age. Pigs were also genotyped using a commercial 650 K marker array. We analyzed 21 traits related to growth, health scores, antibiotic treatments, mortality, feed efficiency, and carcass traits using best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) animal models with random animal effects based on relationship matrices constructed from genomic (G), transcriptomic (T), proteomic (P), and metabolomic (M) data. Across traits, G-BLUP explained the largest proportion of phenotypic variance for most traits. However, T-, P-, or M-BLUP explained similar or greater variance than G-BLUP for several growth and health traits recorded before challenge. Adding T and/or M to G-BLUP generally increased variance explained and improved prediction accuracy for pre-challenge growth rate and health scores, and for mortality and carcass weight after challenge. Models combining G, T, and M often yielded the highest accuracies, whereas adding P did not consistently improve accuracy. For later grow-finish traits, gains from multi-omics were smaller and less consistent.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Blood multi-omics profiles from healthy young pigs can improve prediction of performance and disease resilience beyond genomic data alone. Gains were greatest for traits recorded before challenge and for some resilience traits expressed soon after pathogen exposure, suggesting that pre-challenge molecular profiles capture latent resilience potential. These findings support the use of pre-challenge blood multi-omics as biomarkers for precision management and as a basis for breeding and management strategies targeting disease resilience in pigs.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13227672/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148145562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental estrogens and animal reproductive health: mechanisms, biomarkers, and intervention approaches.","authors":"Shuang Liang, Jianfeng Ma, Siyu Chen, Xia Dong, Jiawei Lu, Yan Zhu, Lei Chen, Yan Wang, Lili Niu, Ye Zhao, Linyuan Shen, Li Zhu, Mailin Gan","doi":"10.1186/s40104-026-01427-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-026-01427-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Environmental estrogens, a group of exogenous endocrine-active compounds, are frequently present in animal feed, water, and husbandry environments. These compounds, which include synthetic xenoestrogens, phytoestrogens, and metalloestrogens, can disrupt reproductive physiology and developmental processes in domestic animals. This review examines their effects on key reproductive outcomes such as folliculogenesis, spermatogenesis, gamete quality, and overall fertility. We discuss the underlying molecular mechanisms, focusing on hormone receptor signaling and epigenetic modifications, and highlight the particular relevance of low-dose and developmental stage-specific exposure in breeding populations. Additionally, potential mitigation approaches are outlined, including nutritional strategies, feed management, and genetic or biotechnological interventions aimed at preserving reproductive performance and animal health. This review elucidates the reproductive toxicological mechanisms of environmental estrogens and provides a scientific basis for developing effective prevention and mitigation strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13224711/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148139881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanism of a polyherbal mixture alleviates calf diarrhea: an integrated network pharmacology, metabolomics, and microbiome study.","authors":"Shaoxiong Ji, Jianmin Xia, Zhantao Yang, Siyuan Liu, Xinyue Zhang, Xiaojing Liu, Yangyi Hao, Wei Wang, Shenfei Long, Shengli Li","doi":"10.1186/s40104-026-01425-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40104-026-01425-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Calf diarrhea represents a prevalent and serious challenge in dairy farming. While medicinal plants demonstrate considerable potential for preventing calf diarrhea within antibiotic-free farming systems, their active components and mechanisms remain poorly characterized. The objective of this study was to investigate a polyherbal mixture (PM; including Crataegus pinnatifida, Callicarpa nudiflora Hook. & Arn., Mallotus apelta (Lour.) Müll.Arg., Amomum villosum Lour., Centella asiatica (L.) Urban, and Alpinia oxyphylla Miq.) supplemented to preweaning calves from d 4 to 60, utilizing an integrated approach combining network pharmacology, metabolomics, and microbiomics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Dietary supplementation with 40 g/d of PM significantly decreased the occurrence of diarrhea (P < 0.05), increased monocyte levels (P < 0.05), and improved jejunal villus height (P < 0.05). Network pharmacology predicts that IL6, EGFR, SRC, TP53, and CCND1 are key targets, while acacetin, chrysin, tectochrysin, dihydroartemisinic acid, and lysionotin may be potential active constituents. The serum metabolome revealed that PM supplementation significantly enriched the steroid hormone biosynthesis. At the same time, PM altered the gastrointestinal microbiota, increasing the abundance of bacteria such as Mediterranea massiliensis, Prevotella denticola, and Duncaniella freteri in the rumen and Clostridium nexile in feces, while decreasing the abundance of Blautia producta, Vescimonas fastidiosa, and Alistipes putredinis in feces (P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Collectively, these findings suggest that PM supplementation alleviated calf diarrhea by remodeling serum steroid hormone biosynthesis and improving ruminal and fecal microbiota composition. Acacetin, chrysin, tectochrysin, dihydroartemisinic acid, and lysionotin may be potential active components.</p>","PeriodicalId":64067,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13222500/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148102372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}