Background and Aim: The widespread restriction of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry production has accelerated the search for sustainable nutritional strategies that enhance bird health while maintaining productivity. Among these alternatives, probiotics have emerged as promising functional feed additives because of their ability to modulate the gut–immune axis, improve intestinal homeostasis, and strengthen host defense mechanisms. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of current evidence regarding the immunomodulatory mechanisms of probiotics and their potential as sustainable alternatives to AGPs in poultry production. Relevant peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2025 were critically evaluated to summarize the effects of probiotic supplementation on gut microbiota composition, intestinal barrier integrity, innate and adaptive immune responses, disease resistance, and production performance. The review highlights the strain-specific actions of commonly used probiotic genera, including Lactobacillus, Bacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, and Saccharomyces, emphasizing their roles in competitive exclusion of pathogens, production of antimicrobial metabolites, regulation of cytokine expression, enhancement of mucosal and systemic antibody responses, and maintenance of immune homeostasis. Emerging evidence on postbiotics, paraprobiotics, synbiotics, and precision nutritional approaches is also discussed as part of next-generation strategies for improving poultry health. Although numerous studies demonstrate beneficial effects of probiotics on intestinal morphology, immune function, vaccine responsiveness, oxidative stress, and resistance to enteric pathogens, considerable variability remains due to differences in probiotic strains, dosage, supplementation period, bird genotype, management practices, and experimental conditions. These inconsistencies highlight the need for standardized strain characterization, optimized administration protocols, and long-term commercial validation to improve reproducibility and field application. Overall, probiotics represent an effective and environmentally sustainable approach for supporting poultry health while reducing dependence on antibiotics. Continued advances in molecular biology, microbiome research, precision livestock farming, and artificial intelligence are expected to facilitate the development of targeted probiotic interventions that enhance disease resistance, improve production efficiency, promote animal welfare, and contribute to sustainable poultry production systems.
Keywords: antibiotic alternatives, disease resistance, gut health, immune modulation, microbiota, poultry, probiotics, sustainable production.
A. Yulianto, A. Khairullah, W. Lokapirnasari et al.· Veterinary World· 0 citations
Influenza A (H5N1) remains a major public health concern due to its high pathogenicity and ongoing viral evolution, underscoring the need for novel antiviral candidates.
In this study, we performed an integrated
in silico
evaluation of organosulfur compounds derived from
Allium ascalonicum
L. (shallot) cultivated in the Tolaki-Mekongga region, Sulawesi, Indonesia, targeting key viral proteins including polymerase (PB2), nucleoprotein (NP), and neuraminidase (NA).
Density functional theory (DFT) analyses were conducted to characterize the electronic properties of the compounds, while PASS prediction indicated moderate potential antiviral activity for Propanethiol and Dipropyl disulfide. Pharmacokinetic profiling suggested acceptable ADMET properties for several candidates. Molecular docking revealed favorable binding conformations across all targets, with γ-glutamyl-S-propenylcysteine exhibiting the most favorable binding energies among the evaluated organosulfur compounds (PB2: -4.9 kcal/mol; NP: -5.8 kcal/mol; NA: -5.2 kcal/mol). These values were comparable to those of oseltamivir and favipiravir for NP and NA, although weaker binding was observed against PB2. Subsequent simulations of molecular dynamics demonstrated stable protein–ligand complexes over 100 ns, further supporting the predicted binding interactions. Consistently, MM-GBSA calculations indicated favorable binding free energies, particularly for γ-glutamyl-S-propenylcysteine (PB2: -30.52 ± 0.29 kcal/mol; NP: -22.76 ± 0.12 kcal/mol; NA: -26.13 ± 0.35 kcal/mol).
Overall, these findings suggest that shallot-derived organosulfur compounds, especially γ-glutamyl-S-propenylcysteine, exhibit potential for interaction with H5N1 viral targets and may warrant further investigation as antiviral candidates. Experimental validation through
in vitro
and
in vivo
studies is required to confirm their biological activity and therapeutic potential.
Rangga Adhi Prastika, Alifaghi Pahlevi Ervianto Putra, Muhammad Alesha Fadhana et al.· Frontiers in Virology· 0 citations
ABSTRACT Background and Aim: Improving growth performance and meat quality is a major objective in genetic improvement programs for indigenous poultry breeds. Kampung Unggul Balitbangtan (KUB) chickens are an improved Indonesian native breed with considerable potential for sustainable tropical poultry production. Transforming growth factor-beta 2 (TGFβ2) plays an important role in regulating skeletal muscle development, cell proliferation, and tissue remodeling; however, its genetic variation and association with economically important traits in KUB chickens remain unknown. This study aimed to characterize TGFβ2 gene polymorphisms and evaluate their associations with growth performance and meat quality traits in KUB chickens receiving dietary multienzyme supplementation. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five one-day-old male KUB chickens were assigned to five dietary treatments containing different combinations of phytase and protease and reared for 90 days. Growth performance was assessed using feed intake (FI), body weight (BW), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and carcass weight (CW). Meat quality traits, including pH, texture, cooking loss (CL), water holding capacity, and color characteristics (L*, a*, and b*), were evaluated after slaughter. Genomic DNA extracted from muscle tissue was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing to identify TGFβ2 polymorphisms. Functional enrichment of differentially expressed genes was investigated using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses. Results: Three TGFβ2 genotypes (CC, TC, and TT) were identified, with allele frequencies of 0.48 (C) and 0.52 (T). The TGFβ2 genotype was significantly associated with BW, CW, and FCR (p < 0.05), whereas FI was unaffected. Multienzyme supplementation significantly reduced CL, improved water holding capacity, and enhanced meat color characteristics without affecting pH or texture. Two exon single nucleotide polymorphisms, c.103C>T and c.99G>A, were identified, representing novel variants in KUB chickens. Functional enrichment analyses demonstrated significant involvement of extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, metabolic pathways, and biological processes related to muscle development and cell proliferation, supporting a nutrigenetic interaction between TGFβ2 polymorphism and enzyme supplementation. Conclusion: This study provides the first characterization of TGFβ2 polymorphisms in KUB chickens and demonstrates their association with growth performance and meat quality traits under multienzyme supplementation. The identified polymorphisms represent promising molecular markers for marker-assisted selection and precision nutrition strategies to improve productivity in indigenous tropical chicken populations.
S. Ayuti, M. Lamid, M. Arif et al.· Veterinary World· 0 citations