MALDI-MS Redox Lipidomics Applied to Human Hair: A First Look

Lipids are an amazingly diverse group of biomolecules with an array of biological functions including protecting and maintaining key properties and structure. Oxidative insult in the form of UV, hydrothermal, or other damage leads to compromised lipid function and can be linked to a wide range of consumer complaints. This proof-of-principle study applied and evaluated redox lipidomic approaches for the characterization and profiling of selected lipids and their oxidation products in human hair. It was observed that cholesterol and cholesterol derivatives regions appeared to be the most susceptible to oxidative damage and this leads to further experiments, including the systematic characterization of oxidative products, and correlation of modifications with damage protocol.