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Updated: Jul 4, 2025

Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis
Published on: April 17, 2017
Lipid droplets and fatty acid-induced lipotoxicity: in a nutshell
Eseiwi Obaseki1, Daniel Adebayo1, Sumit Bandyopadhyay1
1Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
None:
Lipid droplets (LDs) are fat storage organelles that are conserved from bacteria to humans. LDs are broken down to supply cells with fatty acids (FAs) that can be used as an energy source or membrane synthesis. An overload of FAs disrupts cellular functions and causes lipotoxicity. Thus, by acting as hubs for storing excess fat, LDs prevent lipotoxicity and preserve cellular homeostasis. LD synthesis and turnover have to be precisely regulated to maintain a balanced lipid distribution and allow for cellular adaptation during stress. Here, we discuss how prolonged exposure to excess lipids affects cellular functions, and the roles of LDs in buffering cellular stress focusing on lipotoxicity.
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