Guest Editors
Assist. Prof. Yu-Nan Huang
Email: yunanhuang83@gmail.com
Affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40201, Taiwan.
School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan.
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Research Interests: diabetes, obesity, incretin signaling, GLP-1 receptor agonists, anti-obesity therapeutics, metabolic regulation, β-cell biology
Assist. Prof. Yu-Jung Lin
Email: u9882851@gmail.com
Affiliation: Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Taipei 231, Taiwan.
Homepage:
Research Interests: diabetes, metabolic regulation, molecular biology, regenerative research, drug development
Summary
Obesity and diabetes are complex metabolic disorders with increasing global prevalence, posing significant challenges to public health. At the cellular level, these diseases arise from dysregulated signaling pathways and molecular networks governing metabolic homeostasis, inflammation, and cellular stress responses. Incretin-based therapies, especially GLP-1 receptor agonists, have emerged as powerful treatments that not only improve glycemic control but also modulate appetite, energy expenditure, and β-cell preservation. Complementarily, anti-obesity interventions exert profound effects on adipocyte biology and systemic metabolism. Despite clinical advances, the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these therapies remain incompletely understood.
This issue seeks to bridge clinical findings with fundamental biological processes at the cellular and molecular levels, thereby fostering translational insights. Key topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
1. Signal transduction pathways modulated by incretin hormones: Mechanistic studies of GLP-1 receptor and related incretin receptor signaling cascades, including cAMP/PKA, PI3K/Akt, and downstream effectors in pancreatic β-cells and other metabolic tissues.
2. Molecular and cellular mechanisms of anti-obesity drugs: Investigations into adipocyte metabolism, hypothalamic appetite regulation, and energy homeostasis, focusing on receptor-mediated signaling and intracellular responses.
3. Biomarkers and molecular signatures in clinical samples: Identification and mechanistic interpretation of metabolic, inflammatory, β-cell stress, and endothelial function markers emerging from patient data following incretin-based or anti-obesity therapies.
4. Cellular microenvironment and immune signaling in metabolic disorders: The role of immune cell infiltration, cytokine networks, and cell-to-cell communication in the pathogenesis of obesity and diabetes and their modulation by therapeutic interventions.
5. Omics and systems biology approaches: Integration of transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data to decipher comprehensive molecular networks and novel targets influenced by incretin and anti-obesity treatments.
6. Innovative therapeutic strategies and drug mechanisms: Cellular and molecular insights into emerging dual or multi-agonist peptides, combination therapies, and novel pharmacological agents with potential for metabolic disease management.
This special issue provides a platform for researchers to present mechanistic studies that deepen understanding of how incretin-based and anti-obesity therapies alter cellular signaling networks to restore metabolic balance and improve disease outcomes. Studies employing advanced cellular models, patient-derived samples, and integrative bioinformatics analyses are especially encouraged.
Keywords
incretin signaling, GLP-1 receptor agonists, anti-obesity therapeutics, cell signaling pathways, metabolic regulation, β-cell biology, inflammation, biomarkers, omics technologies, systems biology, translational research, diabetes, obesity
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