The Analytical Technique and the Future Vision for the Lipidomics

Abstract

Lipids has very important and various functions in the body. For examples, lipids are the major constituents of cellular membranes and the most efficient source of energy in living organisms. In addition, lipid molecules also work directly as bioactive molecules in immune self-defense and the maintenance of homeostasis. Traditional techniques such as thin layer chromatography, liquid chromatography and gas chromatography are widely used for lipid analysis. However, these methods are difficult for the analysis of molecular species and they require at nanomolar levels of sample. In recent years, because of the development of mass spectrometry technology, analytical methods for quantifying lipids and their metabolites have led to progress in the number of detectable molecular species and their sensitivity. This analytical technique is called the lipidomics. Lipidomics is an emerging field to investigate the structures, functions and dynamic changes of lipids in cells, tissues or body fluids. We aim at the elucidation of a biological phenomenon by global and/or specific comprehension of biological lipids using lipidomics. In this review, we present the analytical technique and the future vision for lipidomics.