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Distribution of lipids in human brain

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Abstract

The enormous abundance of lipid molecules in the central nervous system (CNS) suggests that their role is not limited to be structural and energetic components of cells. Over the last decades, some lipids in the CNS have been identified as intracellular signalers, while others are known to act as neuromodulators of neurotransmission through binding to specific receptors. Neurotransmitters of lipidic nature, currently known as neurolipids, are synthesized during the metabolism of phospholipid precursors present in cell membranes. Therefore, the anatomical identification of each of the different lipid species in human CNS by imaging mass spectrometry (IMS), in association with other biochemical techniques with spatial resolution, can increase our knowledge on the precise metabolic routes that synthesize these neurolipids and their localization. The present study shows the lipid distribution obtained by MALDI-TOF IMS in human frontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatal area, together with functional autoradiography of cannabinoid and LPA receptors. The combined application of these methods to postmortem human brain samples may be envisioned as critical to further understand neurological diseases, in general, and particularly, the neurodegeneration that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease.

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Abbreviations

2-AG:

2-Arachidonylglycerol

AEA:

Anandamide

CB:

Cannabinoids

CNS:

Central nervous system

eCB:

Endocannabinoids

GPCR:

G-protein coupled receptor

IMS:

Imaging mass spectrometry

LPA:

Lysophosphatidic acid

MALDI:

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization

MBT:

2-Mercaptobenzothiazole

MS:

Mass spectrometry

PC:

Phosphatidylcholines

PC(O):

Plasmalogen

PCA:

Principal component analysis

PE:

Phosphatidylethanolamines

PG:

Phosphatidylglycerols

PI:

Phosphatidylinositols

PLSA:

Probabilistic latent semantic analysis

PS:

Phosphatidylserines

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

SF:

Sulfatides

SM:

Sphingomyelin

TOF:

Time of flight

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (SAF2007-60211), the Basque Government (IT-325-07, IT-336-10, IT-440-10, S-PE10UN50 and SAI07/46) and Carlos III Health Institute (FIS PI070628). A. V. is recipient of a UPV/EHU graduate fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, Spain

    Antonio Veloso, Roberto Fernández, Egoitz Astigarraga & José A. Fernández

  2. Department of Pharmacology, University of the Basque Country, Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, Spain

    Gabriel Barreda-Gómez, Iván Manuel, M. Teresa Giralt & Rafael Rodríguez-Puertas

  3. Department of Physiology; Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of the Basque Country, B Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, Spain

    Begoña Ochoa

  4. Institute of Neuropathology, IDIBELL, University Hospital Bellvitge, Hospitalet de Llobregat, CIBERNED, 08907, Barcelona, Spain

    Isidro Ferrer

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  1. Antonio Veloso
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  2. Roberto Fernández
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  3. Egoitz Astigarraga
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  4. Gabriel Barreda-Gómez
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  5. Iván Manuel
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  6. M. Teresa Giralt
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  7. Isidro Ferrer
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  8. Begoña Ochoa
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  9. Rafael Rodríguez-Puertas
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  10. José A. Fernández
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to José A. Fernández.

Additional information

Published in the special issue MALDI Imaging with Guest Editor Olivier Laprévote.

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Veloso, A., Fernández, R., Astigarraga, E. et al. Distribution of lipids in human brain. Anal Bioanal Chem 401, 89–101 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-4882-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-4882-x

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