title: Cholesterolomics: An update.
abstract: Cholesterolomics can be regarded as the identification and quantification of cholesterol, its precursors post squalene, and metabolites of cholesterol and of its precursors, in a biological sample. These molecules include 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, steroid hormones and bile acids and intermediates in their respective biosynthetic pathways. In this short article we will concentrate our attention on intermediates in bile acid biosynthesis pathways, in particular oxysterols and cholestenoic acids. These molecular classes are implicated in the aetiology of a diverse array of diseases including autoimmune disease, Parkinson's disease, motor neuron disease, breast cancer, the lysosomal storage disease Niemann-Pick type C and the autosomal recessive disorder Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome. Mass spectrometry (MS) is the dominant technology for sterol analysis including both gas-chromatography (GC)-MS and liquid chromatography (LC)-MS and more recently matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI)-MS for tissue imaging studies. Here we will discuss exciting biological findings and recent analytical improvements.
authors.affiliation: Swansea University Medical School, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK. Electronic address: w.j.griffiths@swansea.ac.uk.
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.affiliation: Swansea University Medical School, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Abdel-Khalik
authors.affiliation: Swansea University Medical School, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
authors.forename: Eylan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yutuc
authors.affiliation: Swansea University Medical School, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
authors.forename: Alwena H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.affiliation: Swansea University Medical School, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.affiliation: Swansea University Medical School, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hearn
authors.affiliation: Swansea University Medical School, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK. Electronic address: y.wang@swansea.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Yuqin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019082:Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D014807:Vitamin D; C097949:1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: Cholestenoic acids; Cholesterol; Derivatisation; Mass spectrometry; Oxysterols