1P-39 PDF
Lipidome analysis of plasma lipoprotein fractions in myocardial infarction-prone rabbits
Lipids play important roles in the body and are transported to various tissues via lipoproteins. It is commonly assumed that alteration of lipid levels in lipoproteins leads to coronary artery disease (CAD). However, lipid compositions in each lipoprotein fraction induced by lipoprotein metabolism are poorly understood. Lipidome analysis, which involves the comprehensive and quantitative analysis of lipids, is expected to provide valuable information regarding the pathogenic mechanism of CAD. Here, we performed a lipidome analysis of plasma and its lipoprotein fractions in myocardial infarction-prone Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHLMI) rabbits. In total, 172 lipids were quantified with high throughput and accuracy using supercritical fluid chromatography hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (SFC/Q-Orbitrap-MS). Plasma levels of each lipid class in 21-month-old WHHLMI rabbits were significantly higher than those in normal rabbits. High levels of functional lipids such as alkyl-phospholipids were also observed in WHHLMI rabbit plasma. In addition, high-resolution lipidome analysis using very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) provided information on the specific molecular species in each lipoprotein fraction. In particular, higher levels of phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogens were detected in LDL than in VLDL. Our lipidomics approach for lipoprotein fractions will be useful for in-depth studies on the pathogenesis of CAD.