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Lipid Droplets

Meaning

Lipid Droplets (LDs) are dynamic, ubiquitous intracellular organelles that serve as the primary storage sites for neutral lipids, such as triglycerides and cholesterol esters, within virtually all eukaryotic cells. Functionally, they are essential for regulating cellular energy homeostasis, providing a readily accessible and protected reservoir of fatty acids for subsequent energy production or membrane synthesis. They are structurally composed of a neutral lipid core surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer and a specific set of surface proteins, including perilipins, which regulate their metabolism. The dysregulation of their size, number, and mobilization is a hallmark of metabolic diseases like obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and systemic insulin resistance.