Clinical advances in analytical profiling of signature lipids: implications for severe non-communicable and neurodegenerative diseases.

BACKGROUND: Lipids play key roles in numerous biological processes, including energy storage, cell membrane structure, signaling, immune responses, and homeostasis, making lipidomics a vital branch of metabolomics that analyzes and characterizes a wide range of lipid classes. Addressing the complex etiology, age-related risk, progression, inflammation, and research overlap in conditions like Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Cancer poses significant challenges in the quest for effective therapeutic targets, improved diagnostic markers, and advanced treatments. Mass spectrometry is an indispensable tool in clinical lipidomics, delivering quantitative and structural lipid data, and its integration with technologies like Liquid Chromatography (LC), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and few emerging Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization- Imaging Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) along with its incorporation into Tissue Microarray (TMA) represents current advances. These innovations enhance lipidomics assessment, bolster accuracy, and offer insights into lipid subcellular localization, dynamics, and functional roles in disease contexts.

AIM OF THE REVIEW: The review article summarizes recent advancements in lipidomic methodologies from 2019 to 2023 for diagnosing major neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, serious non-communicable cardiovascular diseases and cancer, emphasizing the role of lipid level variations, and highlighting the potential of lipidomics data integration with genomics and proteomics to improve disease understanding and innovative prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW: Clinical lipidomic studies are a promising approach to track and analyze lipid profiles, revealing their crucial roles in various diseases. This lipid-focused research provides insights into disease mechanisms, biomarker identification, and potential therapeutic targets, advancing our understanding and management of conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Cardiovascular Diseases, and specific cancers.