REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1713148
This article is part of the Research TopicLipids in ImmunometabolismView all 5 articles
Immunocyte Lipid Metabolic Reprogramming: A Novel Pathway for Targeted Intervention in Autoimmune Diseases
Provisionally accepted
- 1Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- 2Shunyi Hospital of Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Beijing, China
- 3Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Beijing Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
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Lipids orchestrate immune signaling beyond structure and energy. In autoimmune diseases (ADs), immune cells rewire fatty-acid and cholesterol pathways under microenvironmental pressures, creating pharmacologically actionable dependencies. This metabolic dysregulation is not merely a passive consequence of immune activation but is a key driver of disease progression.This review synthesizes evidence from human and preclinical studies to systematically outline the core regulatory networks of lipid metabolism. It further dissects the role of lipid metabolism in reshaping the functions of T cells, B cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells, and delineates its organ-specific dysregulation in various ADs (e.g., synovium, skin, central nervous system, gut). Rather than blanket immunosuppression, we propose "immune-metabolic normalization": titrating hyperactive nodes to physiological set-points while preserving host defense. We prioritize targets with high translational potential and evaluate corresponding targeted strategies, including drug repurposing, novel agents in clinical development, and innovative interventional concepts. Our work aims to bridge descriptive immunometabolic research with verifiable, patient-centered interventions, laying the groundwork for precision medicine in autoimmune diseases.
Keywords: Lipid Metabolism, Immunometabolism, Autoimmune Diseases, T cells, B cells, Macrophages, targeted therapy
Received: 25 Sep 2025; Accepted: 22 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cui, Feng, Zhao, Dai, Zheng, Rui and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Hong-liang Rui, ruihongliang@bjzhongyi.com
Baoli Liu, liubaoli@bjzhongyi.com
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