SPME in Lipid Analysis

Abstract

The progress made in sample preparation protocols in lipidomics studies has led to a more profound understanding of the structure of lipids, and also the interactions and involvement of many bioactive lipid molecules in cellular processes. In this chapter, the overview of different solutions and advancements of SPME technology for implementation into targeted and untargeted analysis of lipids is presented. The first part of this chapter is devoted to the fundamental properties of lipid species, and the application of SPME in the analysis of the binding properties of lipids, their concentration (free and total), and also the stability of the lipidome in biological samples. The next part of this chapter details different approaches utilizing SPME devices in combination with GC- and LC-based methods for the analysis of various lipid classes in biological matrices with a special focus on in vivo SPME sampling in the clinical context. In addition, technologies such as CBS or a combination of SPME with Raman spectroscopy for highly selective enrichment for lipid species in complex matrices are also summarized. Finally, the authors depict challenges and future perspectives related to the isolation of unstable signaling lipid species and/or matrix-bound lipids from biological matrices.