Gut Microbiota, Obesity, and Associated Metabolic Disorders: Quo Vadis?

  • 6,856

    Total downloads

  • 21k

    Total views and downloads

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

The prevalence of obesity and metabolic comorbidities has considerably increased worldwide, affecting the life of a large group of individuals. As a component of many chronic disease conditions, obesity is characterized by persistent, low-grade inflammation and is increasing in the aging population. It is acknowledged that obesity is involved in endocrine diseases, cardiovascular diseases, hepatic diseases, pulmonary diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, and certain cancers. These include but are not limited to diabetes, NAFLD, polycystic ovary syndrome, metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis, which are major causes of death worldwide.

The conventional pathogenesis of obesity is a combination of genetic, environmental factors, and systemic inflammation of adipose tissue. Over the past few decades, more and more evidence suggested that gut microbiota is an important environmental factor that plays a crucial role in obesity and associated metabolic disorders. The gut microbiota, in the equilibrium state, protects the health of the host and helps with weight balance and energy homeostasis. Accordingly, genomic, dietary, lifestyle, and epigenetic changes in the host can pathologically alter the composition of the microbiota. In the imbalanced state or dysbiosis of gut microbiota, components of pathogenic pathogens such as lipopolysaccharides can enter the bloodstream bind to receptors on adipose tissue and induce adipose tissue dysfunction. Afterwards, the secretion of inflammatory cytokines in adipose tissue increased, inducing persistent low chronic inflammation and leading to the development of obesity. The damage to health caused by the dysbiosis of gut microbiota can be reduced by interventions, or restored in the early stage. Knowing the relationships between microbiota and the development of obesity will help develop microbiota-directed therapeutics to prevent and treat obesity.

The aim of this Research Topic is to investigate the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of obesity focusing on the association and mechanisms between intestinal microbiota and obesity. Therefore, it aims to include studies of pathological mechanisms, the role, mechanisms and pathways by which gut microbiota is regulated in diet-induced obesity and modulates the development of diet-induced obesity-associated metabolic disorders. By understanding these mechanisms, our goal is to develop therapeutic strategies to ameliorate obesity and its complications.

We welcome Original Research articles, Reviews, Opinions, Perspectives, and Systematic Reviews, including but not limited to the following themes:
• The role of gut microbiota and metabolic inflammation in obesity-associated metabolic disorders
• The underlying mechanisms that promote the dysbiosis of gut microbiota in response to high-calorie diet
• New insights into the gut microbiome and its impacts on insulin resistance, islet beta-cell function and obesity-related disorders
• Alteration of the gut microbiota's composition in pathogenesis and clinical prognosis of glucose metabolic disorder and metabolic syndrome
• The dysbiosis of gut microbiota and its role in inducing browning of white adipose
• Gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in the onset and resolution of chronic inflammation, and macrophage polarization
• The role of the gut microbiome in the pathophysiological mechanism of reproductive disorders and polycystic ovary syndrome
• Clinical features or intestinal microbiota composition in COVID-19 patients with obesity-associated metabolic disorders
• Characteristics of intestinal flora are related to clinically heterogeneous phenotypes of glucose metabolic disorder and obesity
• Association between psychological health and outcomes from the dysbiosis of gut microbiota in obesity
• Microbiota-directed therapeutics and dietary intervention

Keywords: Gut microbiota, Obesity, Metabolic disorders, Chronic inflammation, Molecular mechanisms

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 21kTopic views
  • 13kArticle views
  • 6,856Article downloads
View impact