Animal diseases remain a major constraint to livestock productivity and public health, necessitating accurate, early diagnostic methods. This review examines the classification and mechanisms of diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers in veterinary medicine and evaluates how advanced technologies enable their discovery. Mechanistically, biomarkers function as molecular indicators of disease presence, progression, or therapeutic response, and are essential in species where clinical signs often appear late or are non-specific. We detail the contribution of high-throughput omics platforms, genomics (NGS, RNA-Seq), proteomics (LC-MS/MS, DIGE), and metabolomics (NMR, LC-MS/MS) in identifying disease-specific molecular signatures. Emerging technologies, including CRISPR/Cas9, AI-enhanced imaging, aptamer-based biosensors, and microfluidic devices, show significant diagnostic potential. Case studies, including canine melanoma, bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC), and congenital portosystemic shunts in dogs, illustrate the real-world applicability of biomarkers. Challenges such as a lack of standardization, species variability, and poor clinical translation are acknowledged. The review concludes that integrating biomarker mechanisms with advanced analytical technologies is key to advancing veterinary diagnostics and disease control.

The increasing incidence of food safety related to mycotoxin contamination highlights a significant global challenge. Traditional mycotoxin detection methods, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and chromatographic techniques (e.g., high-performance liquid chromatography, HPLC), are often limited by prolonged analysis time, inadequate sensitivity, high costs, and operational complexity, which impede their practical application. In contrast, biosensor technology, possesses interdisciplinary advancements, has emerged as a key area of research due to its inherent advantages, including high sensitivity, rapid response, and cost-effectiveness. This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent technological advancements in the development of highly sensitive biosensors for mycotoxin detection. Furthermore, we propose that future developments should strategically incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), sustainable nanomaterials, and other innovative approaches to enhance biosensor performance significantly and expand their practical applicability in ensuring food safety.

Fumonisin B1 (FB1) contamination has emerged as a global concern due to its high incidence, severe toxicity, and profound implications for food safety and human health. Consequently, there is an urgent demand for the development of novel analytical techniques that enable simple, rapid, and accurate detection of FB1. Conventional methods for mycotoxin analysis, such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS), thin-layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), often suffer from limitations including high cost, time-consuming procedures, environmental sensitivity, and reliance on specialized expertise. Nucleic acid aptamers, generated via Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX), have garnered significant attention as next-generation bioreceptors, demonstrating remarkable progress in food safety applications. Leveraging their high specificity and strong affinity for target molecules, aptamers have been successfully employed as alternatives to conventional methods for FB1 detection, leading to the development of diverse aptasensor platforms. This review systematically summarizes recent advancements (2013–2025) in optical and electrochemical aptasensors for FB1 detection, elucidating their working principles, merits, and limitations. It further evaluates the impact of material integration on sensor performance, identifies existing limitations in selected aptasensor configurations, and proposes corresponding optimization strategies. Finally, the current challenges hindering the practical implementation of aptasensors are critically analyzed, and future research directions are outlined to advance this promising field.

Zearalenone (ZEN), an estrogenic mycotoxin produced by Fusarium species, is a frequent contaminant in cereals and other agricultural commodities. Its presence poses substantial economic losses, threatens food safety, and presents significant risks to human health, making it a growing concern worldwide. Consequently, the development of rapid, sensitive, and reliable methods for ZEN detection is of critical importance. In recent years, aptasensors technologies have emerged as promising tools for mycotoxin monitoring. This review comprehensively summarizes recent advances in ZEN-specific aptasensors, with a focus on detection mechanisms, analytical performance, and comparative advantages and limitations of various platforms. By providing an up-to-date overview of optical, electrochemical, and other emerging sensing strategies, this work aims to support future developments in mycotoxin prevention and detection, thereby contributing to enhanced food safety assurance.

Sulforaphane (SFN), a bioactive compound sourced from cruciferous vegetables, offers significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits yet, its stability in animal feed is a challenge. Nanotechnology-based encapsulation, specifically ionic gelation, has demonstrated efficacy in improving the stability and bioavailability of SFN. This review examines the application of natural polymers such as chitosan and alginate in ionic gelation for the encapsulation of SFN. It also discusses how these polymers can prevent SFN from degrading while traversing the digestive tract. Encapsulated SFN has shown enhanced nutritional absorption, elevated immune responses, and reduced oxidative stress in animals. However, challenges persist in identifying optimal methods for encapsulating various species, including enhancing encapsulation effectiveness, particle size, and controlled release mechanisms. Additionally, regulatory concerns regarding the safety and environmental impacts of nanoparticles in feed must be addressed. Future research should focus on improving encapsulation techniques and ensuring the safe application of SFN-loaded nanocarriers in livestock feed.

Cancer therapy is increasingly shaped by the need for agents that are both mechanistically precise and clinically tolerable. Sulforaphane (SFN), a dietary isothiocyanate enriched in cabbage-family vegetables such as cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, has emerged as a pleiotropic modulator of tumor biology. This review synthesizes current evidence that SFN regulates diverse cancer-relevant processes, including redox homeostasis, cell-cycle progression, apoptosis, autophagy and epigenetic remodeling, largely through coordinated effects on transcriptional (for example, Nrf2, MAPK, NF-κB and AP-1), post-transcriptional (microRNAs and messenger RNAs) and epigenetic (DNA methyltransferases and histone deacetylases) networks. We then examine how functional nucleic acids, including aptamers, small interfering RNAs, microRNAs and tetrahedral DNA nanostructures, can be engineered to guide SFN to tumor cells, amplify pathway-specific effects and overcome resistance. Particular emphasis is placed on nanotechnology-enabled delivery platforms that enhance SFN stability, bioavailability and tumor selectivity. Finally, we outline key challenges, such as context-dependent Nrf2 activity, inter-individual variability in metabolism and incomplete clinical validation, and propose priorities for translating SFN-based functional nucleic acid systems into rational, combination-ready strategies for precision oncology.