Simultaneous profiling of lysophospholipids and phospholipids from human plasma by nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

• Published in: Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry 2011-07, Vol.400 (9), p.2953-2961
• Main Authors: Lee, Ju Yong, Min, Hye Kyeong, Moon, Myeong Hee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Analytical Chemistry; Biochemistry; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chromatographic methods and physical methods associated with chromatography; Chromatography, Liquid - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Female; Food Science; Human; Humans; Laboratory Medicine; Liquids; Lysophospholipids - blood; Lysophospholipids - chemistry; Mass spectrometry; Mathematical analysis; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Nanomaterials; Nanostructure; Original Paper; Other chromatographic methods; Phospholipids - blood; Phospholipids - chemistry; Profiling; Separation; Spectrometric and optical methods; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization - methods; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods
• ISSN: 1618-2642; 1618-2650
• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-011-4958-7

In this study, an analytical method for the simultaneous separation and characterization of various molecular species of lysophospholipids (LPLs) and phospholipids (PLs) is introduced by employing nanoflow liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (nLC-ESI-MS/MS). Since LPLs and PLs in human plasma are potential biomarkers for cancer, development of a sophisticated analytical method for the simultaneous profiling of these molecules is important. Standard species of LPLs and PLs were examined to establish a separation condition using a capillary LC column followed by MS scans and data-dependent collision-induced dissociation (CID) analysis for structural identification. With nLC-ESI-MS/MS, regioisomers of each category of LPLs were completely separated and identified with characteristic CID spectra. It was applied to the comprehensive profiling of LPLs and PLs from a human blood plasma sample and yielded identifications of 50 LPLs (each regioisomer pair of 6 lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs), 7 lysophosphatidylethanolamines (LPEs), 9 lysophosphatidic acid (LPAs), 2 lysophosphatidylglycerols (LPGs), and 1 lysophosphatidylserine (LPS)) and 62 PLs (19 phosphatidylcholines (PCs), 11 phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), 3 phosphatidylserines (PSs), 16 phosphatidylinositols (PIs), 8 phosphatidylglycerols (PGs), and 5 phosphatidic acids (PAs)). Figure The study demonstrates that regioisomers of lysophospholipid can be completely separated and identified with characteristic CID spectra using nLC-ESI-MS-MS, along with the simultaneous profiling of phospholipids from human blood plasma.