The gut microbiota of companion animals is recognized as a key factor involved not only in digestion and nutrient metabolism, but also in immune regulation and disease susceptibility. Dietary composition plays a crucial role in regulating this gut microbial environment. Insect protein, recently attracting attention as a sustainable protein source, is being proposed as an alternative feed ingredient that can meet the nutritional needs of companion dogs and cats. Rather than drastically altering the overall diversity of the gut microbiota, insect protein-based diets tend to induce gradual changes in specific microbial communities and microbial-derived metabolites. These changes suggest the possibility of interactions with the host immune response. In particular, gut microbial metabolites are known to influence immune homeostasis through association with TLR, NF-κB, and MAPK signaling pathways. However, studies directly elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which insect protein-based diets affect the gut microbiota-immune axis in companion animal models are limited. In the future, systematic, mechanism-focused research will be needed to clarify whether a diet utilizing insect proteins can contribute to the improvement of immune homeostasis and health in companion animals through regulation of intestinal microflora.

ABSTRACT
Ⅰ. 서론
Ⅱ. 본론
    1. 곤충 단백질 기반 반려동물 사료의 특성
    2. 곤충 단백질 기반 식이가 반려동물 장내 미생물에 미치는 영향
    3. 장내 미생물–면역 축과 잠재적 분자 기전
    4. 연구 공백 및 향후 연구 방향
Ⅲ. 결론
Ⅳ. 요약
Ⅴ. 참고문헌

• 이호성(강원대학교 동물생명과학대학 대학원생) | Ho Seong Lee (Graduate Student, College of Animal Life Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea)
• 이상원(강원대학교 동물생명과학대학 대학원생) | Sang Won Lee (Graduate Student, College of Animal Life Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea)
• 이성진(강원대학교 동물생명과학대학 교수) | Sung-Jin Lee (Professor, College of Animal Life Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea) Corresponding author
• 이영섭(전북대학교 농업생명과학대학 동물생명공학과 교수) | Youngsub Lee (Professor, Department of Animal Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Korea)