Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (3): 995-1005.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2025.03.003

• Review • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research Progress on Biological Characteristics of β-defensins and Their Roles in Regulating Intestinal Barrier in Animals

WANG Zhuo(), ZHAO Yuwei, TU Yan, DIAO Qiyu, CUI Kai*()   

  1. Key Laboratory of Feed Biotechnology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Feed Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
  • Received:2024-05-09 Online:2025-03-23 Published:2025-04-02
  • Contact: CUI Kai E-mail:wangzhuo990119@163.com;cuikai@caas.cn

Abstract:

The intestinal mucosal barrier is the first line of defense against the invasion of foreign pathogenic substances, and its integrity is essential to maintain intestinal health. β-defensins are small molecular peptides widely distributed in mammalian epithelial cells. They have biological properties such as antimicrobial, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, and have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, small molecular weight, and are not prone to drug-resistant. β-defensins can regulate intestinal barrier function by regulating intestinal flora, the expression of tight junction of intestinal epithelial cells, the secretion of bacteriostatic substances in intestinal epithelial cells, and the immune function of intestinal mucosa, thus maintaining the homeostasis of the intestinal environment. In this paper, the biological characteristics of β-defensins and its function mechanism, the regulation of β-defensins on animal intestinal barrier function, regulatory effect of feed additive on β-defensins were reviewed, in order to provide reference for its application in animal intestines.

Key words: β-defensins, biological characteristics, livestock and poultry, gut barrier

CLC Number: