Bioactive Lipids

The Bioactive Lipids Section of the journal Molecules publishes original, fundamental, and impactful research and timely review articles on bioactive lipids. The Section covers all aspects of this rapidly growing field of investigation, with the aim of increasing our understanding of how the chemical structure of bioactive lipids determines their pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and physicochemical properties and, hence, their therapeutic potential. The main scope is covered by (but not limited to) the following core research areas:

1. The structures and chemical properties of: i) eicosanoids (e.g., leukotrienes, lipoxins and prostanoids like prostaglandins, prostacyclines and thromboxanes); ii) endocannabinoids (e.g., anandamide [N-arachidonoylethanolamine], other N-acylethanolamines, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, other acyl esters and endocannabinoid-like compounds); iii) specialized proresolving mediators (e.g., resolvins, maresins, (neuro)protectins); iv) steroids; and v) isoprostanes, sphingosines, and plasmalogens.
2. The structures and chemical properties of plant-derived cannabinoids (terpeno-phenol compounds, also known as phytocannabinoids), and of additional natural compounds such as terpenoids (including sterols), carotenoids and phenolics (including flavonoids).
3. The structural and functional properties of metabolic enzymes that synthesize bioactive lipids both in vivo and in vitro.
4. The structural and functional properties of the transporters that move bioactive lipids intracellularly, across the plasma membrane and extracellularly.
5. The structural and functional properties of the receptor targets of bioactive lipids, along with molecular details of the signal transduction pathways triggered thereof.