The Role of Natural Products in Lipid Metabolism

Lipid metabolism is central to physiological homeostasis and plays a key role in energy balance, membrane composition, signaling pathways, and metabolic adaptation. The maintenance of lipid homeostasis is essential for normal cellular and systemic function, whereas its dysregulation contributes to several metabolic and chronic disorders, including cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/MASLD), and neurodegenerative conditions. Altered lipid balance is closely associated with metabolic and endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and systemic inflammation. In recent years, advances in lipidomics and metabolomics have substantially improved our understanding of both physiological lipid regulation and the mechanisms underlying lipid-related disease.Although pharmacological strategies targeting lipid metabolism have progressed considerably, there remains strong interest in complementary and naturally derived approaches that may help maintain lipid homeostasis, support physiological steady state, and, in pathological contexts, contribute to restoring altered metabolic function. Natural products, including dietary bioactives, food-derived compounds, plant extracts, and other naturally occurring molecules, have shown lipid-modulatory, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cardioprotective properties. However, their role in preserving physiological lipid balance, as well as the molecular pathways through which they influence lipid metabolism under both normal and dysregulated conditions, remains insufficiently characterized.This Research Topic aims to explore the role of natural products in regulating lipid metabolism, with particular interest in their contribution to the maintenance of lipid homeostasis and protection against lipid-related dysfunction. In particular, the topic welcomes studies on both dietary and non-dietary natural compounds, while explicitly encouraging contributions on food-derived bioactives, functional ingredients, fruits, vegetables, botanicals, and other nutrition-relevant interventions with demonstrated effects on lipid metabolism.We welcome original research articles, reviews, clinical trials, and meta-analyses addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:1. preclinical and clinical studies on the effects of natural products on lipid metabolism and lipid homeostasis[^1]2. identification of molecular mechanisms through which natural products maintain physiological lipid balance or modulate dysregulated pathways3. characterization of bioactive compounds with lipid-regulatory activity4. metabolomics and lipidomics studies elucidating the impact of natural products and bioactives on lipid homeostasis under physiological and pathological conditions5. studies on dietary compounds, food components, and nutrition-related interventions that influence lipid metabolism and associated metabolic outcomes [^1]: Clinical trials are not considered for publication in Frontiers in Physiology and should instead be submitted to either Frontiers in Nutrition or Frontiers in Pharmacology, depending on whether the intervention is primarily dietary/nutrition-related or pharmacological/medicinal in nature.Please Note: All pharmacological investigations must adhere to best-practice guidelines for pharmacological studies on plant and fungal extracts and natural products, including the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology and the ConPhyMP statement (Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205). Detailed documentation of material origin, extraction, and processing is essential; manuscripts lacking this information will be desk-rejected. The full guidelines and ConPhyMP self-assessment tool are available at: https://ga-online.org/best-practice/ Topic editors: CHARALAMPIA AMERIKANOU, Thalia Tsiaka, Andriana C. Kaliora Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78626/the-role-of-natural-products-in-lipid-metabolism