A lipid is generally considered to be any molecule that is insoluble in water and soluble in organic solvents.

Biological lipids usually refer to a broad grouping of naturally occurring molecules which includes fatty acids, waxes, eicosanoids, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, phospholipids, sphingolipids, sterols, terpenes, prenols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K) and others.

 The main biological functions of lipids include their central role in energy storage, as structural components of cell membranes, and as important signaling molecules

 Mass spectrometry is used frequently for lipidomics, but is not currently in general use at UNSW. As a facility we frequently face problems such as inexperienced instrument users, poor sample preparation practices and a lack of understanding of the experiments involved.

 Technical advances in instrumentation (UHPLC and Orbitrap mass analysers) and in software for qualitative and quantitative lipidomics have provided us with a potential ‘turnkey’ system with robust characteristics and production of high quality data. This type of approach cannot replace dedicated lipidomics laboratories and specialists, but it is hoped that it will provide a general lipidomics solution in a facility environment.

 Initial results and evaluations of the system combining LipidSearch software with a Q-Exactive Plus mass spectrometer and C18 UHPLC are presented and discussed.

Results obtained from mouse liver extracts will be compared with those obtained from the same samples measured using the current gold standard - 'shotgun' direct infusion analysis on a QTrap instrument.