Research Topic HighlightsThis collection of articles explores the critical roles lipids play in aging and age-related biological processes. It highlights how lipid metabolism and homeostasis influence aging, longevity, and the development of age-related diseases. Lipidomic analyses in organisms ranging from flies (Drosophila) and nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) to mammals illustrate profound changes in lipid profiles during aging, revealing associations with metabolic decline, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, neurodegeneration, and diseases such as Alzheimer's. Novel techniques, such as stimulated Raman scattering microscopy and lipidomics integrated with statistical modeling (e.g., LipidClock), were shown to effectively track spatial, temporal, and compositional changes in lipids and proteins. Studies also emphasize lipid enzyme activities, including the lysosomal lipases' roles under stress conditions like starvation or aging. Overall, the collection underscores the profound impact of lipid networks on aging processes, their therapeutic potential through dietary interventions and lipid supplementation, and points toward emerging lipid-based biomarkers and therapies for healthy aging and age-related pathologies.
Context and ScopeLipids are one of the most important and highly understudied groups of biological metabolites in the body. The main hindrance in understanding their molecular function was the lack of available methods of detection and analysis. With the recent progress in analytic and high throughput technologies, we begin understanding the contribution of lipids in human health. Different types of lipids (fatty acids, glycerides, nonglyceride, and complex lipids) are supported by a plethora of enzymes, receptors, transporters, and other functional proteins to aid the function of lipids within the body, Aging is associated with an increased risk of lipid-related disorders. Genome-wide association studies have found several lipid-related genomic variants to be associated with human aging, provoking molecular studies aimed to decipher the extent of the biological role of lipids in aging.
Lipid supplementation studies have revealed many important functions of lipids in aging and have been shown to be capable of extending healthy aging in model organisms. Pioneering studies on non-vertebrates (e.g., C. elegans and D. melanogaster) stimulated the development of the field and encouraged the use of rodents and other animals in understanding the role of lipids in aging. This is a field that is constantly growing, and thanks to the concerted efforts of labs all over the world, we begin to understand the association between lipids and natural aging paradigms.
This Research Topic collection welcomes the submission of articles investigating the relationship between lipids and aging. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Lipids and inflammaging
• Role of lipoproteins and lipid enzymes in regulating aging
• Storage lipids as aging accelerating factors
• Aging membranes
• Bioactive lipids and metabolism
• Role of ceramides and sphingolipids in lifespan extension
• Lipid as biomarkers of aging
• Lipids and energy homeostasis in aging
• Lifespan extension via lipid-related interventions
Dr. Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk is a scientific co-founder and consultant of Visgenx. All other co-editors declare no conflicts of interest.