Cellular Mechanisms of Testosterone in Metabolic Disorders
A Special Issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2026 | Viewed by 1379
Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Testosterone exerts multifaceted effects on energy homeostasis, body composition, and cardiometabolic health, yet the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying its actions in metabolic disease remain elusive due to the tissue-specific and context-dependent nature of its signalling, the interplay with other endocrine and metabolic pathways, and the limited integration of preclinical and clinical data. Although clinical studies have investigated testosterone’s impact on type 2 diabetes, obesity, body composition, and cardiometabolic parameters, results are often heterogeneous, highlighting the critical need for mechanistic research to delineate tissue and pathway-specific actions. The escalating prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) underscores the urgency of understanding these mechanisms, not only to advance disease pathophysiology but also to inform novel, targeted therapeutic strategies. Likewise, with the growing clinical use of testosterone replacement therapy to manage symptomatic testosterone deficiency, mechanistic studies are critical to delineate whether testosterone can be leveraged as a targeted metabolic intervention.
At the cellular level, testosterone regulates metabolic tissue function through diverse, interconnected mechanisms controlling energy utilisation, cellular signalling, tissue remodelling, and inter-organ crosstalk. These mechanisms are particularly pertinent in the context of contemporary metabolic therapies such as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which effectively promote weight loss but are known to often compromise lean mass, highlighting the potential complementary value of testosterone’s anabolic and metabolic effects.
This Special Issue welcomes high-quality original research, mechanistic studies, and reviews exploring testosterone’s cellular and molecular actions in metabolic tissues. Submissions addressing tissue-specific effects, sex differences, and translational relevance are encouraged, but all work advancing our understanding of testosterone in metabolic health and disease will be considered.
Dr. Daniel M. Kelly
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 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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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
- testosterone
- metabolism
- type 2 diabetes
- obesity
- metabolic syndrome
- MASLD
- skeletal muscle
- adipose tissue
- insulin resistance
- endocrine signalling
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.
