High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity is a primary risk factor for serious health problems. Although much research has been performed at the genomic level, lipidomic studies were limited. In this study, we aim to obtain a comprehensive profile of circulating plasma lipids, which are altered in rodent rat obesity by untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Rats fed with HFD for 8 weeks had increased body weight, liver and adipose tissue weight. The analysis results revealed that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and their corresponding phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylserine were significantly decreased in rats fed with HFD. In contrast, less unsaturated and ether type phosphatidylglycerols were increased. The triacylglycerides (TAGs) having saturated FA were increased in the HFD condition, whereas TAGs having PUFA were decreased. The levels of many plasma lipids were altered, and interestingly PUFA derived lipids were negatively associated with obesity. This signifies the importance of a PUFAs enriched diet to overwhelm obesity associated diseases.
Keywords: Plasma lipids; hierarchical cluster analysis; high-fat diet; liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; obesity.