Lipid and glycolipid isomer analyses using ultra-high resolution ion mobility spectrometry separations

Abstract

Understanding the biological roles and mechanisms of lipids and glycolipids is challenging due to the vast number of possible isomers that may exist. Mass spectrometry (MS) measurements are currently the dominant approach for studying and providing detailed information on lipid and glycolipid presence and changes. However, difficulties in distinguishing the many structural isomers, due to the distinct lipid acyl chain positions, double bond locations or specific glycan types, inhibit the delineation and assignment of their biological roles. Here we utilized ultra-high resolution ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) separations by applying traveling waves in a serpentine multi-pass Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations (SLIM) platform to enhance the separation of selected lipid and glycolipid isomers. The multi-pass arrangement allowed the investigation of paths ranging from ~16 m (one pass) to ~60 m (four passes) for the distinction of lipids and glycolipids with extremely small structural differences. These ultra-high resolution SLIM IMS-MS analyses provide a foundation for exploring and better understanding isomer-specific biological activities and disease processes.