Profiling Signalling Lipids

Global lipid profiling methods typically cover molecular lipid species from the major classes of lipids such as cholesteryl esters, ceramides, mono-(MG), di- (DG), and TGs, and membrane PLs, for example, sphingomyelins (SMs), PCs, phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), PSs, and lysophospholipids. In targeted lipid analysis, specific lipid classes that are poorly covered by the global profiling methods are usually analyzed. These lipids include steroids, sterols, bile acids, fatty acids, signaling lipids such as eicosanoids, and ceramides, as well as polar lipids and inositol lipids. 

The antiinflammatory effects of statins likely result from their ability to inhibit the formation of mevalonic acid. Downstream products of this molecule include not only the end product, cholesterol, but also several isoprenoid intermediates that covalently modify ( pre-nylate ) certain key intracellular signaling molecules. Statin treatment reduces leukocyte adhesion, accumulation of macrophages, MMPs, tissue factor, and other proinflammatory mediators. By acting on the MHC class II transactivator (CIITA), statins also interfere with antigen presentation and subsequent T-cell activation. Statin treatment can also limit platelet activation in some assays as well. All these results support the concept that in addition to their favorable effect on the lipid profile, statins can also exert an array of antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory actions. 

The HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors therefore improve several aspects of the plasma lipid profile. These agents may produce several favorable effects that are independent of their ability to affect plasma lipid levels.9,96 It appears that certain by-products of cholesterol metabolism act directly or influence the production of other chemical signals that adversely affect cellular function in various tissues.9 Increased production of these by-products could therefore influence a variety of pathological conditions. By controlling the production of these by-products, statins may produce a wide range of beneficial effects in addition to their ability to improve plasma lipids. 

Ala-Korpela et al. tried to evaluate the quantification of the lipoprotein lipid profile, because a huge number of diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, liver dysfunction and cancer, are associated with the disturbance of the balance of this system. Lineshape fitting analysis [40] and even better, utilizing artificial neural networks [41 ] enables to control the heavy signal overlapping such that quantification of VLDL, IDL, LDL, and HDL is... 

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