Metabolic hubs in reproduction: The regulatory network of lipid droplets in gamete and embryo physiology (Review).
Pan L., Wen Z., Jin Y.
Narrative Review, published in Int J Mol Med (2026) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
- Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
- Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
- Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
- Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
- Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.
- Study type
- Narrative Review
- Journal
- Int J Mol Med (2026)
- Country
- Greece
- Reported sample size
- —
- Source database
- PubMed
- PMID
- 41716021
- DOI
- 10.3892/ijmm.2026.5770
Abstract (original English)
Lipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic organelles that extend beyond lipid storage to regulate diverse aspects of reproductive physiology. In both mammals and Caenorhabditis elegans , LDs support gamete maturation, fertilization, embryogenesis and steroidogenesis by modulating lipid mobilization, signaling pathways, protein quality control and hormone production. The present review highlights the roles of LDs in oocytes, sperm, Sertoli and granulosa cells, embryonic stem cells and early embryos. Key regulatory molecules, including perilipins, adipose triglyceride lipase, Hormone‑Sensitive Lipase (HSL), Diacylglycerol O‑acyltransferases and seipin, as well as lipophagy, are discussed in the context of reproductive cell function. C. elegans demonstrates conserved genetic pathways linking LD metabolism with gamete quality and embryonic viability. The present review aimed to discuss emerging technologies such as lipidomics, high‑resolution imaging, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats screening and single‑cell sequencing that enable deeper investigation into LD dynamics. Finally, the present review aimed to examine how LD dysfunction contributes to reproductive disorders including infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome and metabolic syndrome. Understanding LD biology offers promising avenues for improving reproductive health and gamete and embryonic developmental pot
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
- • This is a narrative review: it collects no new patient data and does not systematically appraise evidence quality.
Evidence level
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
How we grade evidenceBrowse all related research
Filter the research library by this study's title keywords, author, or publication year.