A paper on structural lipidomics methods for bioactive lipids has been published

On Apr 4, 2025, a research group of Professor TSUGAWA Hiroshi at Institute of Global Innovation Research of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) of Global Innovation announced in the scientific journal Analytical Chemistry that they have developed a new structural lipidomics method using an electron-assisted dissociation (EAD) method to comprehensively determine the position of fatty acid side chains and hydroxyl groups of fatty acid ester of hydroxy fatty acid (FAHFA), a type of bioactive lipid. TUAT, RIKEN, and JST issued a press release on the same day announcing this research.

FAHFA is a group of lipid metabolites known for their anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic effects, and their biological activities differ depending on their structures. In this study, they investigated analytical methods to simultaneously detect FAHFA metabolites, which are estimated to be more than several dozen types, and to provide comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of fatty acid composition, hydroxyl group position and double bond position. In the new analytical method developed this time, the mass spectrometry data analysis program "MS-DIAL5 " was a key point in the process of identifying the EAD-MS/MS spectrum of FAHFA. The application of this method to various life science studies is expected to contribute to the elucidation of new FAHFA structures and functions, and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind metabolic and inflammatory diseases, according to the press release.

For more details on this research, please see the press release "Development of a New Technology to analyze complex fatty acid structures - Lipidomics to capture the diversity of fatty acid metabolism and the paper "Data-independent acquisition coupled with electron-activated dissociation for in-depth structure elucidation of fatty acid ester of hydroxy fatty acids ".

For more details on this research, please see the press release "Development of a New Technology for Structural Analysis of FAHFA, a Bioactive Lipid: Structural Lipidomics Capturing Diversity in Fatty Acid Metabolism " and the paper "Data-independent acquisition coupled with electron-activated dissociation for in-depth structure elucidation of fatty acid ester of hydroxy fatty acids ".