Editorial: Inflammatory pathways in cardiometabolic diseases: mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapeutic insights

The understanding of the inflammatory core in cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) has shifted from the established paradigm of systemic, low-grade inflammation to a targeted exploration of tissue-specific immunometabolic crosstalk (5). In their review, Al-Shahrabi et al. compellingly demonstrate that disruptions in amino acid metabolism and mitochondrial redox balance are not merely secondary phenomena but active drivers of pathological cardiac remodeling. This theme of metabolic-immune crosstalk is further elaborated by Liu et al., which meticulously delineates how diverse insults-from oxidized lipids to hyperglycemia-converge to orchestrate a pro-inflammatory niche across various CMDs. Long considered merely a glycolytic byproduct, lactate is now recognized as a key regulator of diverse physiological and pathological processes (6) In conclusion, the studies featured in this Research Topic converge on a clear message: inflammation in cardiometabolic diseases is not a static phenomenon but a dynamic, networked process deeply embedded within metabolic regulation. It functions simultaneously as cause and consequence, signal and effector. Together, these findings urge the scientific community to embrace a more integrative frameworkmerging metabolic and immunologic insights-to develop biomarkers and therapeutic strategies that capture the complex pathophysiology of CMD. We are confident that the foundational work collected here will inspire future research and accelerate the translation of these insights into more precise and effective clinical interventions for patients with cardiometabolic disease.