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The Role of Lipids in Human Health
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The Role of Lipids in Human Health

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2026) | Viewed by 3451

Editors

Dr. Angela Maria Rizzo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacological and Biomedical Sciences “Rodolfo Paoletti”, University of Milan, Via D. Trentacoste 2, 20134 Milan, Italy
Interests: lipid biochemistry; lipidomics; omega-3 fatty acids; sphingolipid metabolism; cancer biology; applied nutrition; space life sciences
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Irma Colombo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacological and Biomedical Sciences “Rodolfo Paoletti”, University of Milan, Via D. Trentacoste 2, 20134 Milan, Italy
Interests: lipid biochemistry; lipidomics; omega-3 fatty acids; sphingolipid metabolism; cancer biology; applied nutrition; space life sciences

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lipids are a heterogeneous class of biomolecules whose altered metabolism is one of the key features for human health and diseases. Lipids are essential for energy storage, membrane structure, and synthesis of bioactive molecules. Through membrane dynamics, lipid-protein and lipid-lipid interactions, lipids and their metabolites modulate cell signaling, proliferation and differentiation, inflammatory and degenerative processes, and immune response.

Lipids are an essential component for the homeostatic function in human health. Every organ and tissue in the body depends on lipids for some of its most essential functions, and dysregulation in their metabolism and profile might be correlated with several human diseases.

As a result, this Special Issue will discuss new developments in our knowledge of how lipids and their metabolites affect human health and pathological states. In addition, this Special Issue represents an opportunity to present new molecular and/or cellular mechanisms and propose new targets to ameliorate human health and counteract diseases.

Dr. Angela Maria Rizzo
Dr. Irma Colombo
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-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

  • lipids
  • lipidomics
  • fatty acids
  • sphingolipids
  • steroids
  • metabolism

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2921 KB  
Article
Fenofibrate Treatment Inhibits Very-Low-Density Lipoprotein Transport Vesicle Formation by Reducing Sar1b Protein Expression
by Kayli Winterfeldt, Fahim Rejanur Tasin, Vandana Sekhar and Shadab A. Siddiqi
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(10), 4720; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26104720 - 15 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2024
Abstract
Dyslipidemia is a well-known risk factor in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. VLDL plays a crucial role in maintaining lipid homeostasis; however, even minor fluctuations in its production, intracellular trafficking, and secretion can contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis. Fenofibrate is an [...] Read more.
Dyslipidemia is a well-known risk factor in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. VLDL plays a crucial role in maintaining lipid homeostasis; however, even minor fluctuations in its production, intracellular trafficking, and secretion can contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis. Fenofibrate is an FDA-approved drug that effectively lowers plasma triglycerides and VLDL-associated cholesterol while simultaneously increasing HDL levels. Although fenofibrate is a known PPARα agonist with several proposed mechanisms for its lipid-altering effects, its impact on the intracellular trafficking of VLDL has not yet been investigated. We observed that treatment of HepG2 cells with 50 µM of fenofibrate resulted in a significant reduction in VLDL secretion, as evidenced by a significant decrease in the secretion of 3H-labeled TAG, fluorescent TAG, and ApoB100 protein into the media. Using confocal microscopy to monitor VLDL intracellular trafficking, we observed a distinct change in VLDL triglyceride localization, suggesting delayed transport through the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi. An immunoblot analysis revealed a decrease in Sar1B protein expression, a key regulator of COPII protein recruitment, which is essential for VTV formation and intracellular VLDL trafficking, the rate-limiting step in VLDL secretion. Our data reveal a novel mechanism by which fenofibrate alters the lipid profile by interfering with intracellular VLDL trafficking in hepatocytes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Lipids in Human Health)
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Review

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17 pages, 1769 KB  
Review
Why Do Cells Contain Thousands of Lipid Species? Toward an Integrated Framework for Lipid Diversity in Biological Membranes
by Kyung-Hee Kim and Byong Chul Yoo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(9), 4089; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27094089 - 2 May 2026
Viewed by 623
Abstract
Cells contain an unexpectedly large diversity of lipid molecules. Modern lipidomics studies have revealed that even a single cell type can harbor hundreds to thousands of distinct lipid species that differ in headgroup structure, acyl chain length, and degree of unsaturation. While this [...] Read more.
Cells contain an unexpectedly large diversity of lipid molecules. Modern lipidomics studies have revealed that even a single cell type can harbor hundreds to thousands of distinct lipid species that differ in headgroup structure, acyl chain length, and degree of unsaturation. While this remarkable diversity is now well established, its biological significance remains incompletely understood. Why do cells maintain such complex lipidomes? In this review, we examine several conceptual frameworks that may help explain the origin and functional significance of lipid diversity. First, the physical properties of biological membranes impose constraints on lipid composition, as variations in lipid structure influence membrane fluidity, curvature, thickness, and phase behavior. Second, lipids can regulate membrane protein function through specific interactions and through the physical environment of the lipid bilayer. Third, lipid metabolism generates signaling molecules that participate in diverse regulatory pathways. Fourth, lipid metabolic networks continuously remodel membrane composition, producing dynamic lipidomes that can adapt to physiological conditions. Finally, evolutionary processes have shaped membrane lipid composition across different domains of life, suggesting that lipid diversity may reflect long-term adaptation to functional and environmental constraints. Taken together, these perspectives suggest that lipid diversity is unlikely to be a simple byproduct of metabolism. Instead, the cellular lipidome may emerge from the interplay of membrane biophysics, metabolic network architecture, protein regulation, and evolutionary pressures. Understanding why cells contain thousands of lipid species therefore represents an important challenge for modern cell biology and may reveal fundamental principles governing the organization of biological membranes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Lipids in Human Health)
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