From lipid function to dysfunction: Very long-chain fatty acids as emerging regulators of neuroinflammatory pathways

Lipids are key structural and functional components of the brain, essential for cellular integrity and homeostasis. They regulate signaling pathways driving neuroinflammation, a key factor in many neurological disorders. We review the interplay between lipid metabolism and neuroinflammation, with a focus on very long-chain fatty acids, that are crucial for membrane integrity and of myelin formation. Insights from human genetic disorders highlight how lipid metabolic dysfunction triggers neuroinflammatory cascade. Studies in Drosophila now complement these findings by enabling rapid dissection of conserved pathways and testing of therapeutic strategies, including enzyme modulators, dietary interventions, and gene therapies. By bridging patient-derived insights with powerful in vivo modeling, Drosophila research is uncovering actionable mechanisms linking lipid dysregulation to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease.