Figure 1.

Triglyceride synthesis, storage in lipid droplets, and FA oxidation in cardiomyocyte mitochondria. A detailed explanation of the processes depicted in this figure will be found in sections Lipid Droplets and TAG Metabolism and Fatty Acids and Mitochondrial Function of the main text. LDs can be intercalated with mitochondria or surrounded by them as shown schematically at the right bottom. When mitochondria and LD interact in close contact the scheme suggests that FA degradation and activation occur at the contact sites between both organelles. FA precursors of β-oxidation will be subsequently metabolically channeled to the matrix, and likely β-oxidation, through known pathways (see section Metabolic Channeling of Lipid Utilization From Close Contacts Between Mitochondria and Lipid Droplets: A Hypothetical-Qualitative Model in the text for more details).