Qualitative distribution of endogenous sphingolipids in plasma of human and rodent species by UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS

Xuechen Liu; Jingchen Wang; Bingying Hu; Pan Yan; Shuailong Jia; Zhifeng Du; Hongliang Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.jchromb.2021.122684

Qualitative distribution of endogenous sphingolipids in plasma of human and rodent species by UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS

J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2021 Apr 2:1173:122684. doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2021.122684. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xuechen Liu¹, Jingchen Wang¹, Bingying Hu², Pan Yan¹, Shuailong Jia¹, Zhifeng Du¹, Hongliang Jiang³

Affiliations

¹ Tongji School of Pharmacy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
² Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences (Hangzhou Medical College), 182 Tianmushan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
³ Tongji School of Pharmacy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China. Electronic address: jianghongliang@hust.edu.cn.

PMID: 33857888
DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2021.122684

Abstract

Sphingolipids (SLs) are endogenously bioactive molecules with diverse structures, and its metabolic disorders are involved in the progression of many diseases. In this study, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole exactive mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS) method was established to comprehensively profile SLs in plasma. First, the fragment patterns of SL standards of each subclass were investigated. Then, the SL species in plasma were characterized based on the fragmentation rules. Finally, a total of 144 endogenous SL species consisting of 216 regioisomers were identified in plasma of human, golden hamster and C57BL/6 mice, which was the most comprehensive identification for SLs in plasma. In addition to the known species, 19 SL species that have never been reported were also identified. The profile of SLs in plasma of human and two rodent species was compared subsequently. It was worth noting that a total of 9 SL molecular species consisting of 11 regioisomers with low abundance were successfully identified in human plasma through comparison among species. Those findings contribute to a deeper understanding of SLs in human plasma and provide scientific basis for the selection of animal model. The established profile of SLs in plasma could be used for screening of lipid biomarkers of various diseases.

Keywords: Plasma; Profile; Sphingolipid; UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS.