IMR Press / FBL / Volume 30 / Issue 6 / DOI: 10.31083/FBL26742
Open Access Review
The Role of (Nuclear) Lipid Droplets in the Pathogenesis of Metabolic Syndrome
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Affiliation
1 Center for Immunology and Cellular Biotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236016 Kaliningrad, Russia
2 Department of Organization and Management in the Sphere of Circulation of Medicines, Institute of Postgraduate Education, I.M. Sechenov Federal State Autonomous Educational University of Higher Education-First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 119991 Moscow, Russia
3 Laboratory of Cellular and Microfluidic Technologies, Siberian State Medical University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
*Correspondence: larisalitvinova@yandex.ru (Larisa Litvinova)
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2025, 30(6), 26742; https://doi.org/10.31083/FBL26742
Submitted: 26 September 2024 | Revised: 26 November 2024 | Accepted: 27 December 2024 | Published: 17 June 2025
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a widespread multi-component pathological condition characterized by meta-inflammation and cellular dysfunction. MetS and other metabolic diseases (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CKMS)) stem from the disorder of energy metabolism and changes in the structure and function of specialized organelles such as lipid droplets, endoplasmic reticula, mitochondria, and nuclei. The discovery of lipid droplets within the nucleus and the investigation of their functions across various cell types in both health and disease provide a foundation for discussing their role in the development and progression of metabolic syndrome. This review examines studies on lipid droplets in the nucleus, focusing on pathways of formation, structure, and function. The importance of (nuclear) lipid droplets in liver and brain is emphasized in the context of inflammation associated with obesity, MetS, and liver disease. This suggests that these structures are promising targets for the development of effective drugs against diseases associated with dysregulation of energy metabolism.

Keywords
metabolic syndrome
obesity
nuclear lipid droplets
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
hypothalamic inflammation
Funding
23-15-00061/ Russian Science Foundation
Figures
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