Mass spectrometry and inflammation-MS methods to study oxidation and enzyme-induced changes of phospholipids

摘要

Many diseases such as arthritis or atherosclerosis are accompanied by inflammatory processes. Inflammation is characterized by the infiltration of cells such as neutrophilic granulocytes and (a) the release of phospholipases particularly phospholipase A_2 (PLA_2) and (b) the generation of reactive oxygen as well as nitrogen species (ROS and RNS). While PLA_2 leads to defined lyso products (lacking one acyl residue), lipid oxidation is characterized by much more complex product patterns, including lipid peroxides, aldehydes (by double bond cleavage), and many others. Nevertheless, oxidation processes are highly important under in vivo conditions because molecules with regulatory functions are generated by the oxidation of lipids and/or free fatty acids. Therefore, lipid oxidation products as well as lysolipids are increasingly assumed to represent important disease (bio)markers. Consequently, there is also increasing interest in methods to characterize these products qualitatively and quantitatively.