Molecular Studies on Obesity and Related Diseases
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 16
Special Issue Editors
Interests: clinical nutrition; oncology; colorectal cancer; gut microbiota; intestinal barrier integrity; metabolic and inflammatory pathways; ultra-processed foods; obesity; inflammatory bowel disease; metabolomics and metagenomics
Interests: nutrition and cancer; supplementation; gut microbiota; exercise; translational studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: exercise; gastrointestinal motility; intestinal permeability; enteric nervous system; gastrointestinal pharmacology; gastrointestinal physiology; GERD; Crohn's disease; supplementation; microbiota; exercise and cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Obesity is a complex, multifactorial, and progressive disease driven by the interaction between genetic, metabolic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Recent advances in molecular biology have facilitated a deeper understanding of adipose tissue biology, immunometabolism, endocrine regulation, intracellular signaling, and host–microbiota interactions. These discoveries have revealed new mechanisms contributing not only to excessive adiposity but also to obesity-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/NASH), gastrointestinal cancers, breast cancer, and chronic inflammation.
This Special Issue aims to gather cutting-edge molecular research addressing the pathogenesis, biomarkers, and therapeutic targets related to obesity and its comorbidities, integrating multi-omics technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenetics), advanced imaging, and cellular and preclinical models. Translational studies focusing on the metabolic effects of dietary interventions, physical activity, pharmacotherapy (e.g., GLP-1 analogues), and bariatric procedures are also highly encouraged.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Adipose tissue biology, browning, adipogenesis and thermogenesis;
- Molecular mechanisms linking obesity to metabolic dysfunction;
- Gut microbiota, intestinal barrier and immunometabolic signaling;
- Epigenetic regulation and transcriptional networks in obesity;
- Biomarkers for early detection of obesity-related comorbidities;
- Molecular targets for drug development and precision medicine;
- Multi-omics approaches to metabolic reprogramming;
- Inflammation, oxidative stress and immune dysfunction in obesity;
- Interaction between obesity and cancer development or progression;
- Effects of diet, fasting, exercise and metabolic surgery on molecular pathways.
We believe this Special Issue will contribute to the translational understanding of obesity, enabling improved prevention, diagnosis and personalized therapies.
We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.
Dr. Juliana Soares Severo
Dr. Francisco L. Torres-Leal
Dr. Moisés Tolentino B. Da Silva
Guest Editors
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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
- obesity
- adipose tissue
- immunometabolism
- adipokines
- metabolomics
- gut microbiota
- thermogenesis
- NAFLD
- inflammation
- precision nutrition
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.
