Recent advances in expanding the coverage of the lipidome

• Published in: Current opinion in biotechnology 2017-02, Vol.43, p.127-133
• Main Authors: Tumanov, Sergey, Kamphorst, Jurre J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; energy; Humans; Internal Medicine; Lipid Metabolism; lipids; Lipids - analysis; liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; Mass Spectrometry - methods; metabolic syndrome; neoplasms; physicochemical properties
• ISSN: 0958-1669; 1879-0429
• DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2016.11.008

[Display omitted] •The extreme diversity of the lipidome poses a significant analytical challenge.•A variety of mass spectrometry-based approaches exist for the analysis of lipids.•Combining extraction and separation procedures maximizes coverage of the lipidome. The lipidome comprises a large array of molecules with diverse physicochemical properties. Lipids are structural components of cells, act as a source of energy, and function as signaling mediators. Alterations in lipid metabolism are involved in the onset and progression of a variety of diseases, including metabolic syndrome and cancer. Because of this, interest in lipidomics, the comprehensive characterization of the lipidome by mass spectrometry, has intensified in recent years. However, obtaining a truly complete overview of all lipids in a sample has remained very challenging due to their enormous structural diversity. Here, we provide an overview of the collection of analytical approaches used to study various lipid classes, emphasizing innovations in sample preparation and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Additionally, we provide practical suggestions for increasing the coverage of the lipidome.