Comprehensive analysis of lipids in biological systems by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based lipidomics has undergone dramatic developments over the past decade. This review focuses on state of the art in LC-MS-based lipidomics, covering all the steps of global lipidomic profiling. By reviewing 185 original papers and application notes, we can conclude that current advanced LC-MS-based lipidomics methods involve: (1) lipid extraction schemes using chloroform/MeOH or methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)/MeOH, both with addition of internal standards covering each lipid class; (2) LC separation of lipids using short microbore C18 or C8 columns with sub-2-mu m or 2.6-2.8-mu m (fused-core) particle size with analysis time <30 min; (3) electrospray ionization in positive- and negative-ion modes with full spectra acquisition using high-resolution MS with capability to MS/MS. Phospholipids (phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylinositols, phosphatidylserines, phosphatidylglycerols) followed by sphingomyelins, di- and tri-acylglycerols, and ceramides were the most frequently targeted lipid species. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.