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Updated: May 11, 2026
Fiber Type and Subcellular-Specific Analysis of Lipid Droplet Content in Skeletal Muscle
Published on: June 8, 2022
Lipidomic analysis of human plasma reveals ether-linked lipids that are elevated in morbidly obese humans compared to
Elise L Donovan1, Stefan M Pettine, Matthew S Hickey
1Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 8052, USA. e.donovan@auckland.ac.nz.
Background:
Lipidomic analysis was performed to explore differences in lipid profiles between plasma from lean and obese subjects, followed by in vitro methods to examine a role for the identified lipids in endothelial cell pathophysiology.
Methods:
Plasma was collected from 15 morbidly obese and 13 control subjects. Lipids were extracted from plasma and analyzed using LC/MS, and MS/MS to characterize lipid profiles and identify lipids that are elevated in obese subjects compared to lean.
Results:
Orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) modelling showed that lipid profiles were significantly different in obese subjects compared to lean. Analysis of lipids that were driving group separation in the OPLS-DA model and that were significantly elevated in the obese group led to identification of a group of ether-linked phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) lipids of interest. Treatment of human coronary artery endothelial cells with the ether-linked phosphatidylethanolamine induced expression of cell adhesion molecules, a hallmark of endothelial cell activation. However, oxidized phosphatidylcholine products that can induce endothelial cell activation in vitro, were not significantly different between groups in vivo.
Conclusion:
These data suggest a role for ether-linked lipids in obesity associated dyslipidemia and vascular disease.
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