---
title: "Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Oxidation and Its Regulatory Role in Respiratory Diseases"
id: "pubmed-42275921"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42275921"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Critical Care"
source_name: "PubMed / NCBI"
source_url: "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42275921/"
doi: "10.1016/j.intimp.2026.116995"
published_at: "2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Article"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Oxidation and Its Regulatory Role in Respiratory Diseases
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42275921
- **Specialty:** [Critical Care](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/critical-care.md)
- **Primary Source:** PubMed / NCBI
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42275921/)
- **DOI:** [10.1016/j.intimp.2026.116995](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.intimp.2026.116995)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Article
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- The review focuses on **mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO)** as a central metabolic pathway in the lung, supplying energy to pulmonary tissues and contributing to processes such as alveolar surfactant synthesis. - The article summarizes molecular mechanisms governing mitochondrial FAO and how these mechanisms are implicated in respiratory disease pathogenesis. - Diseases discussed include **chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)**, **asthma**, **pulmonary fibrosis**, **acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS)**, **lung cancer**, and **pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)**. - The review highlights that metabolic reprogramming, specifically alterations in FAO, is increasingly recognized as important in chronic respiratory disease biology. - Potential FAO-targeted therapeutic strategies presented include **small-molecule drugs**, **exercise and nutritional interventions**, and active components of **traditional Chinese medicine**. - Most therapeutic evidence summarized derives from preclinical work in animal models and in vitro studies rather than clinical trials. - The review provides a theoretical framework for future clinical research but emphasizes that direct clinical translatability of FAO-targeted approaches remains to be validated. - The authors declare no competing interests. - The paper is a 2026 review published in Int Immunopharmacol (PMID 42275921, DOI 10.1016/j.intimp.2026.116995) authored by Shuna Wei from Lanzhou University.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
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Epub 2026 Jun 11. # Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation: a new perspective on metabolic regulation in respiratory diseases [Shuna Wei](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Wei+S&cauthor_id=42275921)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42275921/#full-view-affiliation-1 "The First Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China. Electronic address: weishn2024@lzu.edu.cn.") Affiliations Expand ### Affiliation * 1 The First Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China. Electronic address: weishn2024@lzu.edu.cn. * PMID: **42275921** * DOI: [ 10.1016/j.intimp.2026.116995 ](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intimp.2026.116995) Item in Clipboard Review # Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation: a new perspective on metabolic regulation in respiratory diseases Shuna Wei. Int Immunopharmacol. 2026. Show details Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID Int Immunopharmacol Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Int+Immunopharmacol%22%5Bjour%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in NLM Catalog ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog?term=%22Int+Immunopharmacol%22%5BTitle+Abbreviation%5D) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42275921/) . 2026 Sep 15:185:116995. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2026.116995. Epub 2026 Jun 11. ### Author [Shuna Wei](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Wei+S&cauthor_id=42275921)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42275921/#short-view-affiliation-1 "The First Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China. Electronic address: weishn2024@lzu.edu.cn.") ### Affiliation * 1 The First Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China. Electronic address: weishn2024@lzu.edu.cn. * PMID: **42275921** * DOI: [ 10.1016/j.intimp.2026.116995 ](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intimp.2026.116995) Item in Clipboard Full text links Cite Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID ## Abstract Chronic respiratory diseases pose a major global public health challenge, and the role of metabolic reprogramming in their pathogenesis has attracted increasing attention. Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) is a core energy metabolic pathway that not only fuels pulmonary tissues but also participates in essential physiological processes such as alveolar surfactant synthesis. This review outlines the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial FAO and focuses on its complex regulatory roles in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome, lung cancer, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. We further summarize potential FAO-targeted therapeutic strategies, including small-molecule drugs, exercise and nutritional interventions, and active components of traditional Chinese medicine, based largely on preclinical evidence from animal models and in vitro studies. These findings provide a theoretical framework for future clinical research, though the direct clinical translatability remains to be validated. **Keywords:** ALI; Asthma; COPD; FAO; Lung cancer; PAH. Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 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