Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 15, 2025

Author Spotlight: Analysis of Fluorescent-Stained Lipid Droplets with 3D Reconstruction for Hepatic Steatosis Assessment
Published on: June 2, 2023
Lipid droplet dynamics in alcoholic fatty liver disease
Ryan J Schulze1, Wen-Xing Ding2
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Abstract:
The rising incidence of alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) demands making urgent progress in understanding the fundamental molecular basis of alcohol-related hepatocellular damage. One of the key early events accompanying chronic alcohol usage is the accumulation of lipid droplets (LDs) in the hepatocellular cytoplasm. LDs are far from inert sites of neutral lipid storage; rather, they represent key organelles that play vital roles in the metabolic state of the cell. In this review, we will examine the biology of these structures and outline recent efforts being made to understand the effects of alcohol exposure on the biogenesis, catabolism, and motility of LDs and how their dynamic nature is perturbed in the context of ALD.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
Overview of Lipid Metabolism
Lipolysis: The Breakdown of Lipids:
Lipolysis is the process of breaking down lipids, particularly triglycerides, into glycerol and fatty acids. This process typically occurs in the adipose tissue and is triggered by various hormones, including glucagon and...

