Evaluation of a commercial enzymatic test kit regarding the quantitative analysis of different free fatty acids.

The quantitative determination of the total free fatty acids (FFAs) is an important analytical task because FFAs exhibit important physiological effects and are also relevant in many other fields, for instance, in food research. Our aim was to investigate whether a commercially available enzymatic test kit developed for the determination of FFAs in human serum is also suitable to determine different physiological and nonphysiological FFAs and to which extent the impact on the sensitivities (i.e., the accuracy by which a given FFA can be determined) differ. It will be shown that the chain length as well as the double bond content has a significant impact on the sensitivity by which a given FFA can be determined. For instance, palmitic acid (16:0) is determined with an approximately 20 times higher sensitivity in comparison to docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3). All data were obtained by measuring the concentrations of the FFAs by gas chromatography, and selected FFAs were also determined in a complex matrix of human serum. It is concluded that this kit is not useful if major alterations of the FFA composition of a complex mixture are expected because the individual FFAs are not detected with the same sensitivities: the concentrations of polyunsaturated FFA determined by this kit are wrong.

Differently saturated fatty acids can be differentiated by 31P NMR subsequent to derivatization with 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyldioxaphospholane: a cautionary note.

The analysis of free fatty acid (FFA) mixtures is a very important but, even nowadays, challenging task. This particularly applies as the so far most commonly used technique-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)-is tedious and time-consuming. It has been convincingly shown ( Spyros, A.; Dais, P. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2000, 48, 802 - 5) that FFA may be analyzed by (31)P NMR subsequent to derivatization with 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyldioxaphospholane (CTDP). However, it was also indicated that differently unsaturated FFAs result in the same (31)P NMR chemical shift and cannot be differentiated. Therefore, only the overall fatty acid content of a sample can be determined by the CTDP assay. In contrast, we will show here by using high-field NMR (600 MHz spectrometer, i.e., 242.884 MHz for (31)P) that the CTDP assay may be used to differentiate FFAs that have pronounced differences in their double bond contents: saturated fatty acids (16:0), moderately unsaturated (18:1, 18:2), highly unsaturated (20:4), and extremely unsaturated fatty acids (22:6) result in slightly different chemical shifts. The same applies for oxidized fatty acids. Finally, it will also be shown that the CTDP derivatization products decompose in a time-dependent manner. Therefore, all investigations must adhere to a strict time regime.

Choline-releasing glycerophosphodiesterase EDI3 drives tumor cell migration and metastasis.

Metastasis from primary tumors remains a major problem for tumor therapy. In the search for markers of metastasis and more effective therapies, the tumor metabolome is relevant because of its importance to the malignant phenotype and metastatic capacity of tumor cells. Altered choline metabolism is a hallmark of cancer. More specifically, a decreased glycerophosphocholine (GPC) to phosphocholine (PC) ratio was reported in breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. Improved strategies to exploit this altered choline metabolism are therefore required. However, the critical enzyme cleaving GPC to produce choline, the initial step in the pathway controlling the GPC/PC ratio, remained unknown. In the present work, we have identified the enzyme, here named EDI3 (endometrial differential 3). Purified recombinant EDI3 protein cleaves GPC to form glycerol-3-phosphate and choline. Silencing EDI3 in MCF-7 cells decreased this enzymatic activity, increased the intracellular GPC/PC ratio, and decreased downstream lipid metabolites. Downregulating EDI3 activity inhibited cell migration via disruption of the PKCα signaling pathway, with stable overexpression of EDI3 showing the opposite effect. EDI3 was originally identified in our screening study comparing mRNA levels in metastasizing and nonmetastasizing endometrial carcinomas. Both Kaplan-Meier and multivariate analyses revealed a negative association between high EDI3 expression and relapse-free survival time in both endometrial (P < 0.001) and ovarian (P = 0.029) cancers. Overall, we have identified EDI3, a key enzyme controlling GPC and choline metabolism. Because inhibition of EDI3 activity corrects the GPC/PC ratio and decreases the migration capacity of tumor cells, it represents a possible target for therapeutic intervention.

Sphingomyelin is more sensitively detectable as a negative ion than phosphatidylcholine: a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometric study using 9-aminoacridine (9-AA) as matrix.

Phospholipids (PLs) are increasingly analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and imaging MS. Different classes of PLs are preferentially detectable either as positive or negative ions depending on the charges of their headgroups. Sphingomyelin (SM) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) occur in virtually all biological samples and both are assumed to be detectable with the same sensitivity (in the positive ion mode) because their headgroups are identical. We will show here that the detectabilities of PC and SM depend on the matrix used. In the presence of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) SM is more sensitively detectable in positive ion mode than PC while the use of 9-aminoacridine (9-AA) as matrix inverts the detectabilities. Our explanation is that the preferred generation of negative ions from SM if 9-AA is used as matrix results in a reduced yield of positive ions. It will also be shown that this is not only valid if a simplified model system is investigated, but also if, for instance, extracts from human erythrocytes are investigated. It will also be outlined that this finding is particularly important in the context of imaging studies where no previous separation of the lipids of interest can be performed.

Chlorinated and brominated phosphatidylcholines are generated under the influence of the Fenton reagent at low pH-a MALDI-TOF MS study.

Lipid (phospholipid) oxidation is an increasingly important research topic due to the significant physiological relevance. The Fenton reaction, i.e. the transition metal catalyzed decomposition of H(2)O(2) is frequently used to generate hydroxyl radicals (HO*). Lipids with unsaturated fatty acyl residues are primarily converted by HO* radicals into peroxides. In contrast, chloro- and bromohydrins as well as dihalogenides are formed by the addition of HOCl or HOBr to the olefinic groups of the fatty acyl residues of lipids or under the influence of the enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO) from Cl(-) and H(2)O(2). We will show here by using MALDI-TOF MS for product analysis that halogenated products may also be generated in the presence of the Fenton reagent, if either FeCl(2) or FeBr(2) is used. In the presence of FeSO(4), however, peroxides are exclusively generated. It will also be shown that the generation of halogen-containing products is a competing reaction with the cleavage of the double bond under generation of the corresponding aldehyde or carboxylic acid that is favored at prolonged incubation times and at elevated pH.

Phosphatidylcholine dimers can be easily misinterpreted as cardiolipins in complex lipid mixtures: a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometric study of lipids from hepatocytes.

The liver is an important organ that is particularly involved in the lipid metabolism of the organism. Thus, high interest is nowadays focused on the lipid composition of the liver and particularly the liver parenchymal cells, the hepatocytes. Hepatocytes contain common phospholipids (PL) such as phosphatidylcholines, -ethanolamines and -inositols, for instance, that can be easily analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) even without previous separation of the PL mixture. However, in addition to common PL, hepatocytes possess also significant amounts of cardiolipin (CLP). The MS analysis of this PL is quite challenging because it (a) has a higher mass than common lipids and (b) possesses a higher negative charge. We will show here that caution is required if CLP is analyzed directly from the total lipid extract because PC dimers may be interpreted as cardiolipins if the positive ion MALDI mass spectra are analyzed.

Lipid analysis by thin-layer chromatography--a review of the current state.

High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) is a widely used, fast and relatively inexpensive method of separating complex mixtures. It is particularly useful for smaller, apolar compounds and offers some advantages over HPLC. This review gives an overview about the special features as well as the problems that have to be considered upon the HPTLC analysis of lipids. The term "lipids" is used here in a broad sense and comprises fatty acids and their derivatives as well as substances related biosynthetically or functionally to these compounds. After a short introduction regarding the stationary phases and the methods how lipids can be visualized on an HPTLC plate, the individual lipid classes will be discussed and the most suitable solvent systems for their separation indicated. The focus will be on lipids that are most abundant in biological systems, i.e. cholesterol and its derivates, glycerides, sphingo- and glycolipids as well as phospholipids. Finally, a nowadays very important topic, the combination between HPTLC and mass spectrometric (MS) detection methods will be discussed. It will be shown that this is a very powerful method to investigate the identities of the HPTLC spots in more detail than by the use of common staining methods. Future aspects of HPTLC in the lipid field will be also discussed.