Lipids in Health and Diseases

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 3718

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Gorlaeus Laboratories, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
Interests: liver; adrenal; cholesterol; triglyceride; lipoprotein metabolism; gene regulation; endocrinology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The lipid class of molecules constitutes a large set of bioactive compounds that play a role in general physiology as well as in multiple diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, disturbances in lipid metabolism have been associated with certain types of cancer. In this Special Issue, you are invited to highlight new insights into the physiological and pathologies roles of these interesting biomolecules. Special attention may be given to the potential of these molecules not only as therapeutic targets for pharmacological development, but also as biomarkers in disease (outcome) prediction. Research papers as well as reviews dealing with the role of lipids in health and disease are welcomed.

Dr. Menno Hoekstra
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • fatty acids
  • cholesterol
  • phospholipids
  • disease
  • physiology

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2064 KiB  
Article
Association of Altered Plasma Lipidome with Disease Severity in COVID-19 Patients
by Zhengzheng Zhang, Naama Karu, Alida Kindt, Madhulika Singh, Lieke Lamont, Adriaan J. van Gammeren, Anton A. M. Ermens, Amy C. Harms, Lutzen Portengen, Roel C. H. Vermeulen, Willem A. Dik, Anton W. Langerak, Vincent H. J. van der Velden and Thomas Hankemeier
Biomolecules 2024, 14(3), 296; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14030296 - 01 Mar 2024
Viewed by 932
Abstract
The severity of COVID-19 is linked to an imbalanced immune response. The dysregulated metabolism of small molecules and bioactive lipids has also been associated with disease severity. To promote understanding of the disease biochemistry and provide targets for intervention, we applied a range [...] Read more.
The severity of COVID-19 is linked to an imbalanced immune response. The dysregulated metabolism of small molecules and bioactive lipids has also been associated with disease severity. To promote understanding of the disease biochemistry and provide targets for intervention, we applied a range of LC-MS platforms to analyze over 100 plasma samples from patients with varying COVID-19 severity and with detailed clinical information on inflammatory responses (>30 immune markers). This is the third publication in a series, and it reports the results of comprehensive lipidome profiling using targeted LC-MS/MS. We identified 1076 lipid features across 25 subclasses, including glycerophospholipids, sterols, glycerolipids, and sphingolipids, among which 531 lipid features were dramatically changed in the plasma of intensive care unit (ICU) patients compared to patients in the ward. Patients in the ICU showed 1.3–57-fold increases in ceramides, (lyso-)glycerophospholipids, diglycerides, triglycerides, and plasmagen phosphoethanolamines, and 1.3–2-fold lower levels of a cyclic lysophosphatidic acid, sphingosine-1-phosphates, sphingomyelins, arachidonic acid-containing phospholipids, lactosylceramide, and cholesterol esters compared to patients in the ward. Specifically, phosphatidylinositols (PIs) showed strong fatty acid saturation-dependent behavior, with saturated fatty acid (SFA)- and monosaturated fatty acid (MUFA)-derived PI decreasing and polystaturated (PUFA)-derived PI increasing. We also found ~4000 significant Spearman correlations between lipids and multiple clinical markers of immune response with |R| ≥ 0.35 and FDR corrected Q < 0.05. Except for lysophosphatidic acid, lysophospholipids were positively associated with the CD4 fraction of T cells, and the cytokines IL-8 and IL-18. In contrast, sphingosine-1-phosphates were negatively correlated with innate immune markers such as CRP and IL-6. Further indications of metabolic changes in moderate COVID-19 disease were demonstrated in recovering ward patients compared to those at the start of hospitalization, where 99 lipid species were altered (6 increased by 30–62%; 93 decreased by 1.3–2.8-fold). Overall, these findings support and expand on early reports that dysregulated lipid metabolism is involved in COVID-19. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lipids in Health and Diseases)
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16 pages, 2857 KiB  
Article
Use of Various Sugarcane Byproducts to Produce Lipid Extracts with Bioactive Properties: Physicochemical and Biological Characterization
by Joana Odila Pereira, Diana Oliveira, Margarida Faustino, Susana S. M. P. Vidigal, Ana Margarida Pereira, Carlos M. H. Ferreira, Ana Sofia Oliveira, Joana Durão, Luís M. Rodríguez-Alcalá, Manuela E. Pintado, Ana Raquel Madureira and Ana P. Carvalho
Biomolecules 2024, 14(2), 233; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14020233 - 17 Feb 2024
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Abstract
Sugarcane, a globally cultivated crop constituting nearly 80% of total sugar production, yields residues from harvesting and sugar production known for their renewable bioactive compounds with health-promoting properties. Despite previous studies, the intricate interplay of extracts from diverse sugarcane byproducts and their biological [...] Read more.
Sugarcane, a globally cultivated crop constituting nearly 80% of total sugar production, yields residues from harvesting and sugar production known for their renewable bioactive compounds with health-promoting properties. Despite previous studies, the intricate interplay of extracts from diverse sugarcane byproducts and their biological attributes remains underexplored. This study focused on extracting the lipid fraction from a blend of selected sugarcane byproducts (straw, bagasse, and filter cake) using ethanol. The resulting extract underwent comprehensive characterization, including physicochemical analysis (FT-IR, DSC, particle size distribution, and color) and chemical composition assessment (GC-MS). The biological properties were evaluated through antihypertensive (ACE), anticholesterolemic (HMG-CoA reductase), and antidiabetic (alpha-glucosidase and Dipeptidyl Peptidase-IV) assays, alongside in vitro biocompatibility assessments in Caco-2 and Hep G2 cells. The phytochemicals identified, such as β-sitosterol and 1-octacosanol, likely contribute to the extract’s antidiabetic, anticholesterolemic, and antihypertensive potential, given their association with various beneficial bioactivities. The extract exhibited substantial antidiabetic effects, inhibiting α-glucosidase (5–60%) and DPP-IV activity (25–100%), anticholesterolemic potential with HMG-CoA reductase inhibition (11.4–63.2%), and antihypertensive properties through ACE inhibition (24.0–27.3%). These findings lay the groundwork for incorporating these ingredients into the development of food supplements or nutraceuticals, offering potential for preventing and managing metabolic syndrome-associated conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lipids in Health and Diseases)
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11 pages, 253 KiB  
Article
Correlation between Blood Lipid Level and Osteoporosis in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus—A Retrospective Study Based on Inpatients in Beijing, China
by Xin Zhao, Jianbin Sun, Sixu Xin and Xiaomei Zhang
Biomolecules 2023, 13(4), 616; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13040616 - 29 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1303
Abstract
Objective: to analyze the association between blood lipid metabolism and osteoporosis (OP) in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: a total of 1158 older patients with T2DM treated by the Department of Endocrinology, Peking University International Hospital, were retrospectively analyzed, [...] Read more.
Objective: to analyze the association between blood lipid metabolism and osteoporosis (OP) in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: a total of 1158 older patients with T2DM treated by the Department of Endocrinology, Peking University International Hospital, were retrospectively analyzed, including 541 postmenopausal women and 617 men. Results: (1) Levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly higher in the OP group, while levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were higher in the non-osteoporotic group (both p < 0.05). (2) Age, parathyroid hormone (PTH), total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C were negatively linked to the patients’ bone mineral density (BMD) (all p < 0.05), while the body mass index (BMI), uric acid (UA) level, HDL-C level and glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were positively related to their BMD (all p < 0.05). (3) In postmenopausal women, after adjustment for other indexes, raised LDL-C is an independent risk factor for OP (OR = 3.38, 95% CI 1.64, 6.98, p < 0.05) while raised HDL-C is protective (OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.24, 0.96, p < 0.05). However, raised HDL-C was protective against OP (OR = 0.07, 95% CI 0.01, 0.53, p < 0.05). Conclusion: In older T2DM patients, the effect of blood lipid levels is related to sex. Our study conducted a detailed sex stratification. In addition to seeing the traditional risk factors of OP, such as age, sex, and BMI, we comprehensively analyzed the correlation between the blood glucose level, complications, and blood lipids with OP. HDL-C is a protective factor for OP in both men and women, while LDL-C independently predicts OP in postmenopausal women. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lipids in Health and Diseases)
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