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Bioactive Lipids in Health and Disease: From Bench to Translational Insights

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 334

Editor


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Guest Editor
Biochemistry and Biological Sciences Faculty, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, CONICET, Santa Fe, Argentina
Interests: functional lipids; lipids properties; fatty acids; lipid signaling; lipidomics; precision nutrition; cardiometabolic disease; inflammation; translational research

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dietary lipids have traditionally been associated with non-communicable chronic diseases (NCCDs); however, accumulating evidence indicates that specific lipid species exert a wide range of bioactive effects beyond their structural and energetic roles. Bioactive lipids act as pleiotropic regulators of cellular signaling networks through the generation of biological mediators, regulation of gene expression, modulation of redox homeostasis, and fine-tuning of immune and inflammatory pathways. Through these mechanisms, bioactive lipids modulate key molecular mechanisms that may contribute to the prevention or attenuation of NCCDs.

Recent advances in lipidomics, molecular nutrition, and systems biology have provided unprecedented resolution in the quality and quantitative characterization of lipid species and their metabolites, enabling integrative mechanistic insights and strengthening the translational bridge from bench to clinical application.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide novel and integrative insights into molecular mechanisms of bioactive lipids in health and disease. We invite the submission of original research articles, position papers, and comprehensive reviews addressing mechanistic studies in cellular and animal models, lipodomics-based biomarkers, precision nutrition approaches, diagnostic and prognostic applications, therapeutic interventions targeting lipid modulation, and translational strategies integrating lipid biology into preventive and clinical frameworks.

Based on your recognized expertise in the field, I am writing on behalf of the International Journal of Molecular Science (IJMS) to cordially invite you to submit an original research article, position paper, or comprehensive review for our Special Issue, titled “Bioactive Lipids in Health and Disease: From Bench to Translational Insights”.

We particularly welcome high-quality contributions addressing mechanistic studies in cellular and animal models; lipodomics-based biomarkers; precision nutrition strategies; diagnostic and prognostic applications; therapeutic interventions targeting lipid modulation; and translational approaches integrating lipid biology into preventive and clinical frameworks.

All manuscripts will undergo a rigorous peer-review process to ensure scientific excellence and relevance.

We sincerely hope you will consider contributing to this Special Issue, and I very much look forward to receiving your valuable submission.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Claudio Bernal
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-anonymized 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

  • functional lipids
  • lipids properties
  • fatty acids
  • lipid signaling
  • lipidomics
  • precision nutrition
  • cardiometabolic disease
  • inflammation
  • translational research

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 3436 KB  
Article
D2O-Enabled Chemical Beaconing: Tracking Steroid Metabolism by Pooled Gut Microbiota
by Boris Tupertsev, Anna Vishnevskaya, Tatiana Ikonnikova and Yury Kostyukevich
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(14), 6466; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27146466 - 21 Jul 2026
Viewed by 164
Abstract
The gut microbiota actively metabolizes steroid hormones, but the mechanisms of these transformations—particularly the sequence of enzymatic reactions and the source of hydrogen atoms—remain poorly understood. Conventional analytical approaches are hampered by the complex fecal matrix, isomeric metabolites, and the lack of authentic [...] Read more.
The gut microbiota actively metabolizes steroid hormones, but the mechanisms of these transformations—particularly the sequence of enzymatic reactions and the source of hydrogen atoms—remain poorly understood. Conventional analytical approaches are hampered by the complex fecal matrix, isomeric metabolites, and the lack of authentic reference standards. Here we present a strategy based on parallel incubation of steroids with pooled human gut microbiota in H2O and D2O, followed by HPLC-HRMS, with the aim of determining the sequence of reductive steps and tracking the incorporation of atoms into steroid metabolites. Using a pooled fecal inoculum from multiple donors (n = 18) and three steroid substrates, we demonstrate that the characteristic mass shift (1.0063 Da per deuterium atom) enables detection of metabolites and distinguishes multi-step enzymatic reactions in the microbial community without recombinant enzymes and authentic standards. Progesterone and 19-hydroxy-4-androstene-3,17-dione underwent sequential two-step reduction incorporating up to three deuterium atoms, while 17α-hydroxypregnenolone followed a three-step pathway incorporating up to four deuterium atoms, consistent with localization to the A-ring. This workflow provides a practical tool for investigating gut microbial steroid metabolism in the context of human physiology and disease, with potential applications in monitoring microbial activity in endocrine disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, and neuropsychiatric conditions. Full article
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