Role of Mitochondrial Function in Farm Animals’ Health and Production
Role of Mitochondrial Function in Farm Animals’ Health and Production
Mohsen Shakeri1, Hieu H Le2, Majid Shakeri3*
ABSTRACT
Mitochondria are organelles found in most cells, play a crucial role in maintaining the body’s health by regulating energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and calcium homeostasis which all are essential for most body functions. The efficiency and quantity of mitochondria within cells are essential for several normal activities including grow, reproduce, and respond to environmental stressors. One of the factors that have been suggested as a reason for mitochondria dysfunction is genetics modifications. Farm animals have been genetically modified to produce more products to meet the market demand. However, along with the positive gains in production efficiency have come some unintended consequences such as lower products quality and impair animal’s health. Healthy mitochondria are essential for postmortem meat quality, impacting color and tenderness of the meat, while mitochondria dysfunction impairs performance and deteriorating final product quality. Mitochondria dysfunction alters cellular functions leading to a range of problems, including metabolic disorders and higher tissue damages. Although, several strategies have been introduced to improve mitochondria function, but none of them has fully addressed the problem in farm animals. Understanding the relationship between mitochondrial function and farm animal’s performance is crucial for the development of targeted therapies aimed at improving their performance and health. This review attempted to summarize recent works on mitochondrial function and its implications for animal health and performance and suggest potential treatment strategies.
Keywords | Mitochondria, Environment, Livestock, Performance, Meat quality, Treatment strategies
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May 2025
Adv. Anim. Vet. Sci., Vol. 13, Iss. 5,
