About this Research Topic
Animal gut microbiota have strong metabolic activities and play important roles in the regulation of nutrient utilization and physiological functions of host. Small molecule metabolites from gut microbes can be absorbed by the gut into the systemic circulation and play regulatory roles as signaling molecules or potential toxins, affecting the performance and health of animals. Maternal gut microbial composition is significantly altered during pregnancy, which is necessary to maintain a healthy maternal pregnancy and rapid fetal growth and development. Some microbes can also indirectly affect maternal reproductive performance by participating in reproductive hormone metabolism. As observed in all mammalian livestock, nutritional interventions to developing embryo similarly affect the gut microbiota and the health of chicken. In conclusion, gut microbial community is equally central to maternal health and to the growth and health of offspring.
This Research Topic aims at answering the following questions: What are the changes in gastrointestinal microbes and physiological functions in mammalian livestock during pregnancy and lactation, and in poultry during embryonic development? What is the relationship between these changes and the growth and development of their conceptuses and offspring? How do nutritional interventions (including diet composition, nutrients, and functional feed additives) influence gut microbes and physiological functions, ultimately regulating the intestinal health, growth and development, product yield and quality of offspring? What is the specific mechanism of action?
We welcome submissions of Original Research articles and reviews on the topics below:
- Effects of nutritional intervention on parents or during pregnancy/ in ovo on growth and development of offspring;
- Effects of nutritional intervention on parents or during pregnancy/ in ovo on intestinal health of offspring;
- Effects of nutritional intervention on parents or during pregnancy/ in ovo on production performance and product quality of offspring;
- Role of functional additives like probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics in parent-offspring integration and the underlying mechanism.
This Research Topic aims at answering the following questions: What are the changes in gastrointestinal microbes and physiological functions in mammalian livestock during pregnancy and lactation, and in poultry during embryonic development? What is the relationship between these changes and the growth and development of their conceptuses and offspring? How do nutritional interventions (including diet composition, nutrients, and functional feed additives) influence gut microbes and physiological functions, ultimately regulating the intestinal health, growth and development, product yield and quality of offspring? What is the specific mechanism of action?
We welcome submissions of Original Research articles and reviews on the topics below:
- Effects of nutritional intervention on parents or during pregnancy/ in ovo on growth and development of offspring;
- Effects of nutritional intervention on parents or during pregnancy/ in ovo on intestinal health of offspring;
- Effects of nutritional intervention on parents or during pregnancy/ in ovo on production performance and product quality of offspring;
- Role of functional additives like probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics in parent-offspring integration and the underlying mechanism.
Keywords: gut microbiota, parent-offspring integration, nutritional intervention, growth and development, intestinal health
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
