Ubiquitous yet unique, lipid droplets are intracellular organelles that are increasingly being recognized for their versatility beyond energy storage. Advances uncovering the intricacies of their biogenesis and the diversity of their physiological and pathological roles have yielded new insights into lipid droplet biology. Despite these insights, the mechanisms governing the biogenesis and functions of lipid droplets remain incompletely understood. Moreover, the causal relationship between the biogenesis and function of lipid droplets and human diseases is poorly resolved. Here, we provide an update on the current understanding of the biogenesis and functions of lipid droplets in health and disease, highlighting a key role for lipid droplet biogenesis in alleviating cellular stresses. We also discuss therapeutic strategies of targeting lipid droplet biogenesis, growth or degradation that could be applied in the future to common diseases, such as cancer, hepatic steatosis and viral infection.

脂滴是普遍存在且独特的细胞内细胞器，其除了能量储存之外的多功能性越来越受到人们的认可。揭示其生物发生的复杂性及其生理和病理作用的多样性的进展为脂滴生物学带来了新的见解。尽管有这些见解，但控制脂滴生物发生和功能的机制仍不完全清楚。此外，脂滴的生物发生和功能与人类疾病之间的因果关系尚不清楚。在这里，我们提供了目前对脂滴在健康和疾病中的生物发生和功能的了解的最新信息，强调了脂滴生物发生在减轻细胞应激中的关键作用。