Lipids and Lipoproteins in Human Health and Disease

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Factors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 648

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Systems Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Reseach, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
Interests: liver; adrenal; cholesterol; triglyceride; lipoprotein metabolism; gene regulation; endocrinology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The lipid class of compounds encompasses a great variety of highly lipophilic molecules with varying biophysical and chemical properties that execute essential actions in physiology. However, lipid overload is toxic to cells and associated with the development of relevant disease pathologies such as metabolic-associated fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In the current Special Issue of Biomolecules on “Lipids and Lipoproteins in Human Health and Disease”, we aim to publish excellent reviews and original research manuscripts that provide insight into the synthesis and (intra)cellular and systemic transport of lipids and their impact on physiology or pathology. Special interest will be given to papers that highlight novel methods of therapeutically modulating lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and/or make use of novel experimental models to study lipid metabolism.

Dr. Menno Hoekstra
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • lipid
  • lipoprotein
  • lipophilic molecules

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 963 KB  
Article
Differential Metabolic Dysregulations in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Cirrhosis: Insights into Lipidomic Signatures
by Cristina-Paula Ursu, Luminița Elena Furcea, Bogdan Procopeț, Răzvan Alexandru Ciocan, Ștefan Ursu, Claudia Diana Gherman, Dan Vălean, Rodica Sorina Pop, Emil Ioan Moiș, Horia Ștefănescu, Carmen Socaciu, Nadim Al Hajjar and Florin Graur
Biomolecules 2025, 15(11), 1575; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15111575 - 10 Nov 2025
Viewed by 523
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary liver malignancy, usually develops in patients with cirrhosis, yet the metabolic mechanisms that distinguish the two conditions remain poorly understood. This study aimed to explore metabolic dysregulations in HCC compared with cirrhosis and to identify potential [...] Read more.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary liver malignancy, usually develops in patients with cirrhosis, yet the metabolic mechanisms that distinguish the two conditions remain poorly understood. This study aimed to explore metabolic dysregulations in HCC compared with cirrhosis and to identify potential biomarkers, especially lipids, with diagnostic and prognostic value. We prospectively studied 81 patients—41 with HCC and 40 with cirrhosis—using high-resolution UHPLC-QTOF-ESI+-MS to characterize their serum lipidome. Across both groups, 322 metabolites were identified, but their distribution was strikingly different. Patients with HCC showed higher levels of sphingolipids, glycerophospholipids, diglycerides, sterols, and certain fatty acids, reflecting tumor-related metabolic rewiring. In contrast, cirrhotic patients had increased D-glucose, 5-hydroxymethyluracil, lysophospholipids, acylcarnitines, and specific fatty acid derivatives. Several lipids, such as CerPE(d16:2/24:1(2OH)), SM(d18:0/14:0), PA(36:6), and GlcCer(d18:1/12:0), displayed excellent discriminative accuracy, highlighting their role as putative biomarkers. These findings underscore the importance of lipid metabolic reprogramming in HCC, characterized by membrane remodeling, energy adaptation, and oxidative stress resistance. Integrating lipidomic profiling into clinical practice could improve early detection and risk stratification in cirrhotic patients. Larger, multicenter studies are needed to validate these biomarkers and assess their therapeutic implications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lipids and Lipoproteins in Human Health and Disease)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop