Stable Isotopes & ESR Probes

Stable isotope-labeled lipids are lipids that have been chemically modified to contain stable isotopes of specific elements. These isotopes can be used as tracers in various metabolic studies to track the fate and metabolism of lipids in biological systems. Currently, the most commonly used stable isotopes in isotopically labeled lipid studies are carbon 13 (13C) and deuterium (2H).

Fig. 1. Stable isotope-labelled lipids (Biomolecules. 2018, 8: 151).

Isotope Labeled Lipid

Isotopically labeled lipids can be synthesized by incorporating stable isotopically labeled precursors into the lipid synthesis pathway. For example, stable isotope-labeled glucose or acetate can be used as precursors to label carbon atoms in fatty acid chains to obtain isotope-labeled fatty acid molecules. Similarly, deuterated water or deuterated fatty acids can be used to label hydrogen atoms in lipids. A typical application of isotope-labeled lipids is to track their trajectories in cells or organisms. Currently, isotope-labeled lipids have been widely used in the study of lipid signal transduction, lipid transport, lipid metabolism and lipid turnover.

Deuterated Phospholipids

Deuterated phospholipids can be obtained when some or all of the hydrogen atoms in the phospholipid molecule are replaced by deuterium atoms. Chemical synthesis or enzymatic labeling of deuterated precursors can be used to incorporate deuterium into phospholipids. Deuterated phospholipids are currently widely employed in pharmaceutical and research applications, particularly in investigations of membrane dynamics, lipid-protein interactions, and drug delivery systems. The physical and chemical properties of phospholipids, such as membrane fluidity, stability, and lipid-protein interactions, can be affected by the presence of deuterium. This enables researchers to more precisely and sensitively investigate the function of phospholipids in biological processes. Deuterated phospholipids can also be employed as internal standards in lipidomics analyses based on mass spectrometry to precisely measure endogenous phospholipids in biological samples.

Deuterated Sphingolipids

Sphingolipids are a class of lipids containing sphingosine or related bases as the backbone. They are important components of cell membranes and play a variety of roles in cell signaling and cellular processes. Deuterated sphingolipids can be synthesized by incorporating deuterium-labeled precursors during sphingolipid biosynthesis. This labeling enables researchers to track sphingolipid metabolism in biological systems using techniques such as mass spectrometry, thereby facilitating the treatment of cancer, neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases.

Deuterated Sterols

Sterols are lipids found in cell membranes and play important roles in various biological processes. Deuterated sterols are used to study the metabolism, distribution and function of sterols in living organisms. By replacing some of the hydrogen atoms in sterol molecules with deuterium, researchers can use techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to track the movement and fate of sterols in biological systems. Deuterated sterols are also used as internal standards in analytical chemistry to quantify the amount of sterols in a sample. By adding a known amount of deuterated sterol to the sample and comparing the signal intensity of the deuterated sterol with that of endogenous sterols, researchers can accurately determine the concentration of sterols in the sample.

Isotope Labeled Lipids

BOC Sciences offers a wide range of stable isotope-labeled lipid products to facilitate the study of lipid metabolism, lipidomics, and lipid-related diseases. Our stable isotope-labeled lipid products include various lipid classes such as phospholipids, glycerolipids, sphingolipids and sterol lipids. Deuterated lipid products are offered by us for a variety of analytical techniques including mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, and stable isotope tracing experiments.

Reference

1. Triebl, A. et al. Analytical Considerations of Stable Isotope Labelling in Lipidomics. Biomolecules. 2018, 8: 151.