Multiplexed targeted analysis of polyunsaturated fatty acids and oxylipins using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and their oxidized products (oxylipins) are important mediators in intra- and extra-cellular signaling. We describe here the simultaneous quantification of 163 PUFAs and oxylipins using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The protocol details steps for PUFA purification from various biological materials, the conditions for LC-MS analysis, as well as quantitative approaches for data evaluation. We provide an example of PUFA quantification in animal tissue along with the bioinformatic protocol, enabling efficient inter-sample comparison and statistical analysis. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Vila et al.,¹ Costanza et al.,² Blomme et al.,³ and Blomme et al.⁴.

Keywords: Chemistry; Mass Spectrometry; Metabolomics.