Biofluid lipidome: a source for potential diagnostic biomarkers

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Metabolomics
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Lipidomics quantifies lipidome alterations in cells, tissues, organs, or biofluids.
• Lipidome changes reflect metabolic shifts, offering insights into disease manifestation.
• Altered lipid molecules serve as potential biomarkers for disease screening and early detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an introduction to lipidomics and its role in understanding metabolic changes.
• To discuss the chemical diversity, biological roles, and metabolism of lipids.
• To highlight the significance of studying lipidomes in various accessible biological fluids for disease research.

Main Methods:

• High-resolution mass spectrometry is employed for lipid identification and quantification.
• Analysis focuses on lipidome changes in biological samples.
• Review synthesizes existing knowledge on lipidomics, metabolism, and disease association.

Main Results:

• Lipidome analysis reveals metabolic changes associated with disease states.
• Accessible biological fluids (blood, urine, saliva) provide a footprint of metabolic alterations.
• Lipids play crucial roles in pathogen interactions and immune responses.

Conclusions:

• Lipidomics is a powerful tool for understanding health and disease.
• Studying lipid profiles in biofluids is vital for early disease diagnosis.
• Challenges in lipidomic analysis include experimental and data processing stages.