Environmental Obesogens and Their Perturbations in Lipid Metabolism

Epidemiological data show that obesity is now a pandemic. Lipid homeostasis requires the coordination of multiple tissues and organs, including the liver, kidney, cardiovascular system, and adipose tissues, to maintain bodily homeostasis. As increasing amounts of chemicals are being synthesized, applied, and released into the environment, their obesogenic effects have triggered serious concern. Currently, more than 50 types of chemicals with high human exposure levels have been identified as environmental obesogens that can interfere with lipid metabolism and induce obesity. Experimental studies have shown that the lipid metabolism interference effects of obesogens have multiple targets, including nuclear receptors, transcription factors, cytokines, and hormones. The interfering factors of environmental obesogen-induced obesity include transgenerational effects, susceptibility windows, gender differences, structure-effect relationships, and diet habits. Various research approaches have been established to conduct obesogenic effect research. This comprehensive review summarizes the mechanisms underlying obesogen actions and the research progress on obesogen-disrupted lipid metabolism, along with the influencing factors and research approaches, aiming to provide a framework for understanding the effects of environmental obesogens on lipid metabolism.