Lipid droplets beyond storage: Cellular metabolic modulator in the diabetic heart (Review)

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a significant complication in patients with diabetes, but its pathogenesis is not fully understood. In recent years, dynamic regulation of lipid droplets (LDs) balance has gradually become a new therapeutic direction with great potential. LDs regulate lipid storage, energy supply and interconnected drivers; for instance, oxidative damage, inflammation, autophagy, ferroptosis, affect the function and cellular homeostasis of cardiomyocytes, macrophages and fibroblasts, and thus participate in DCM. The present review discusses the multiple functions of LDs in regulating DCM by affecting cell homeostasis and summarizes the research progress of therapies targeting LDs and related metabolic pathways, which may inform novel strategies for preventing and treating DCM.