Purification and sphingolipidomic analysis of lipid particles from human plasma

• Grant number: 24/22891-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Arterio Sorgi
• Grantee: Thiago Vinicius Defelippo Felippe
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/03414-5 - Integrated Analysis of Sphingolipid Metabolism and Extracellular Particle Composition in the Context of a Hight-Fat-Diet: Implications for Lipoproteins, Vesicle Biogenesis, and the Role in Macrophage Response to COVID-19, AP.R

Abstract

Sphingolipids (SL) are structurally and functionally diverse molecules with important physiological functions, found in cell membranes as well as in plasma lipoproteins or extracellular vesicles (EVs). Plasma concentrations of these SL can fluctuate in response to metabolic disorders and may serve as predictive biomarkers of diseases or mediators in the regulation of immune responses. In this context, SL have been described as critical factors in the regulation of infectious processes and innate immune responses. In fact, our research group, using quantitative sphingolipidomics methodologies, has demonstrated that SL species are clinical and inflammatory markers associated with COVID-19 in patients.In this project, we propose the development of an analytical methodology for the quantification of SL species in the composition of human plasma lipoproteins, which may be applied in future studies on metabolic disorders or inflammatory processes. To achieve this, our strategies include:i) purification and characterization of lipoproteins (HDL, LDL, VLDL) from the plasma of healthy individuals;ii) determination of SL content in different lipid particles using quantitative mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Thus, this study will enable methodological advancements for the determination of SL load in plasma lipid particles and its application in biomedical research.