Bioanalytical mass spectrometry platform for lipid mediator analysis

Lipid mediators display biologically relevant effects even at very concentrations. At the same time, however, there is a large number of chemically related but biologically inactive molecules (isomers). The scientifically reliable detection and quantification of picomolar amounts of chemically related lipid mediators from complex biological samples therefore requires highly sensitive and highly selective analysis. We develop, optimize, and validate bioanalytical methods to separate lipid mediators based on their lipophilicity, mass-to-charge ratio, and fragmentation pattern. For this purpose, we use different sample preparation methods such as solid phase (SPE) or liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) in combination with modern ultra-high-performance chromatography systems (UPLC) and triple quadrupole-based tandem mass spectrometers (MS/MS). We extract the lipids contained therein and determine the content of individual polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), prostaglandins (PG), leukotrienes (LT), specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPM) and other fatty acid metabolites. Finally, we offer the systematic and statistical evaluation of complex lipid mediator networks and oxylipin signatures (metabololipidomics).