The impact of exercise on the role of lipid droplets in maintaining health: a narrative review

Introduction Lipid droplets (LDs) are omnipresent intracellular organelles. Their number, size, and composition exhibit considerable heterogeneity within cells. Dysregulated lipid accumulation or depletion is not only a hallmark but also a potential contributor to various human pathologies. This narrative review aims to elucidate the impact of excessive LDs on health in various tissues, summarize the potential mechanisms by which exercise-induced amelioration of related diseases through the regulation of LDs homeostasis, and provide important reference evidence for the prevention and treatment of related diseases. Content This review elucidates the life cycle, tissue specificity and functions of LDs. Furthermore, it examines the regulatory effects of exercise on LDs metabolism, focusing on mechanisms involving inflammatory factors, liposomes, LDs-associated proteins and immune function, glomerular filtration rate, and insulin sensitivity. Additionally, it highlights the activation of key signaling pathways, including IL-15, AMPK and CaMKII, as well as the enhancement of lysosomal activity in diseases characterized by excessive LDs accumulation and aberrant distribution. Summary and outlook LDs are formed in the endoplasmic reticulum and are primarily degraded through lipolysis and lipophagy, exhibiting distinct tissue specificity and multifunctionality. While moderate levels of lipid droplets can protect against lipotoxicity, excessive accumulation may trigger various diseases by promoting inflammation, viral infection, and tumor cell proliferation. Exercise has a significant ameliorative effect on these related diseases. Future research will focus on leveraging lipid droplets and their derivatives as signaling nodes to gain deeper insights into cellular signal transduction and the regulatory role of exercise in these processes.