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Benchmarking Lipid Quantitation from Skin Swab Sebum-Rich Samples to Establish Mass Spectrometry-Based Diagnostic
Minhui Zhu1, Caitlin Walton-Doyle1, Eleanor Sinclair1,2
1Michael Barber Centre for Collaborative Mass Spectrometry, Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
Analytical Chemistry
|June 25, 2026
Summary
Skin swab sampling for lipid analysis is robust. Using endogenous triacylglycerol ratios for normalization overcomes variability, enabling reliable skin lipid quantification for biomarker discovery.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Dermatology
Background:
- Skin swab sampling is a noninvasive method for collecting skin surface lipids.
- Quantitative sebum analysis is challenging due to sample variability and lipid matrix complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the robustness of skin swab sampling for lipid analysis.
- To assess the feasibility of quantifying skin surface components using LC-MS/MS.
- To develop a reliable method for skin swab lipidomics.
Main Methods:
- Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with multiple reaction monitoring.
- Evaluation of analytical linearity, matrix effects, and recovery using internal standards (IS).
- Assessment of endogenous lipids as normalization markers, focusing on triacylglycerol (TG) ratios.
Main Results:
- Robust linearity was observed for IS and endogenous lipids (R² > 0.97).
- Internal standard recovery was variable and inconsistent, especially for certain lipid classes.
- Highly conserved ratios between endogenous triacylglycerol species (CV < 15%) were identified and stable across individuals and disease states.
Conclusions:
- Endogenous lipid normalization, specifically TG ratios, can effectively mitigate sampling and extraction variability.
- This approach enhances quantitative reliability in skin swab lipidomics.
- The study provides a framework for reproducible mass spectrometry-based skin biomarker studies.
