title: Comparison of circulating lipid profiles between fasting humans and three animal species used in preclinical studies: mice, rats and rabbits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Circulating lipid metabolites are associated with many physiological and biological processes in the body, and therefore could be used as biomarkers for evaluating drug efficacy and safety in preclinical studies. However, differences in circulating lipid profiles among humans and animals often used in preclinical studies have not been fully investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed lipidomic analysis to obtain circulating lipid profiles of fasted humans (Caucasian, n = 15) and three animal species used in preclinical studies (mice [BALB/c, n = 5], rats [Sprague-Dawley, n = 5], and rabbits [New Zealand White, n = 5]) by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data showed marked differences in lipid profiles among humans and these animal species. Furthermore, we observed that the levels of many lipid metabolites, such as poly-unsaturated fatty acid-containing cholesteryl esters, ether-type phosphoglycerolipids, and sulfatides, were significantly different (p < 0.05) by more than 10-fold in these animals (depending on the animal species) from humans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data could be useful while extrapolating the data on the biomarker candidates identified in preclinical studies into clinical studies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicinal Safety Science, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo, 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicinal Safety Science, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo, 158-8501, Japan. saitok2@nihs.go.jp.
authors.forename: Kosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicinal Safety Science, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo, 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urata
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0374, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicinal Safety Science, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo, 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maekawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicinal Safety Science, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo, 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002788:Cholesterol Esters / Q000097:blood*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D005215:Fasting; D020404:Glycerophospholipids / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D055442:Metabolome / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013045:Species Specificity; D013433:Sulfoglycosphingolipids / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002788:Cholesterol Esters; D020404:Glycerophospholipids; D013433:Sulfoglycosphingolipids