Sample Preparation Methods for Lipidomics Approaches Used in Studies of Obesity.

Obesity is associated with alterations in the composition and amounts of lipids. Lipids have over 1.7 million representatives. Most lipid groups differ in composition, properties and chemical structure. These small molecules control various metabolic pathways, determine the metabolism of other compounds and are substrates for the syntheses of different derivatives. Recently, lipidomics has become an important branch of medical/clinical sciences similar to proteomics and genomics. Due to the much higher lipid accumulation in obese patients and many alterations in the compositions of various groups of lipids, the methods used for sample preparations for lipidomic studies of samples from obese subjects sometimes have to be modified. Appropriate sample preparation methods allow for the identification of a wide range of analytes by advanced analytical methods, including mass spectrometry. This is especially the case in studies with obese subjects, as the amounts of some lipids are much higher, others are present in trace amounts, and obese subjects have some specific alterations of the lipid profile. As a result, it is best to use a method previously tested on samples from obese subjects. However, most of these methods can be also used in healthy, nonobese subjects or patients with other dyslipidemias. This review is an overview of sample preparation methods for analysis as one of the major critical steps in the overall analytical procedure.

Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Synthesis and Oxidation as Potential Anticancer Agents in Colorectal Cancer Treatment.

Aberrant fatty acid (FA) metabolism has long been recognized in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Since de novo lipogenesis is required for CRC tumour growth and survival, the inhibition of FA metabolism is a promising potential therapeutic target. Inhibition of the opposite process, ß-oxidation of FAs, has also showed promising results in many CRC models. For patients with CRC, both FA synthesis and ß-oxidation inhibitors are promising potential therapeutic options as monotherapies or as combination therapies with other anticancer agents. In this review, we discuss recent reports concerning inhibitors of FA synthesis and ß-oxidation in various CRC models. The exact mechanisms of action of the selected compounds described in this review remain unknown and require precise evaluation before the development of new successful therapies for CRC is possible.