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Peripheral neuropathy is a prevalent complication of diabetes and prediabetes characterized by distal-to-proximal peripheral nerve damage. Dyslipidemia is a contributory factor that underlies neuropathy development in type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. However, the molecular pathways that underlie sensory neuron dysfunction in peripheral neuropathy associated with diabetes and prediabetes are unknown. Our recent lipidomic and transcriptomic analyses identified altered metabolism of polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid in the peripheral nerves of prediabetic mice with neuropathy. However, the molecular effect of linoleic acid on sensory neurons remains unknown. Since sensory dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons are dependent on trafficking mechanisms to transport healthy mitochondria throughout the length of the axon, we evaluated the effect of linoleic acid on axonal mitochondrial trafficking …