Bioactive lipids in health and disease

Although the primordial concept of lipids is associated with the role they play as key components of the cell membrane, growing research in the field of bioactive lipids and lipidomic technologies proves the prominent role of these molecules in other biological functions. Nowadays, over 100,000 bioactive lipids, including many different classes of this family (i.e., sphingolipids, fatty acids, and sterols), have been identified as signaling molecules in the regulation of complex pathways and molecular mechanisms implicated in both physiologic homeostasis and disease pathology, such as arthritis, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, a deeper comprehension of the existing link between bioactive lipids and cellular functions, from cell signaling to intercellular communication, and metabolic and gene regulation, is required to likely unveil the role of these lipids as diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers of different diseases. This Special Issue includes four original research articles and five reviews that focus on the role of bioactive lipids and/or enzymes directly involved in their metabolism as new targets for future therapeutic intervention in different pathologies.