Analysis of phospholipid metabolism in interstitial pneumonia and development of a laboratory assay using mass spectrometry

支气管肺泡灌洗液（BALF）用于间质性肺炎的诊断和确定临床病情，但BALF脂质成分与临床病情的关系尚不清楚。我们开发了一种测定脂质种类，脂肪酸组成，和脂质代谢酶活性，使用基质辅助激光解吸/电离飞行时间质谱和气相色谱质谱。该方法具有快速、简便、准确的特点。通过质谱法测定BALF磷脂谱。通过比较血清和BALF的磷脂谱，我们可以检测BALF中磷脂代谢的变化。本研究结果可作为判断肺表面活性物质和肺泡细胞磷脂代谢紊乱的指标。

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) is used for diagnosis and determining clinical condition in interstitial pneumonia, but the relations between BAL lipid composition and clinical condition are unclear. We developed an assay for determining lipid species, fatty acid composition, and lipid metabolic enzyme activity using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The methods were rapid, simple, and accurate with very small samples. The BALF phospholipid profile was determined by mass spectrometry. We could detect changes in metabolism of phospholipid species in BALF by comparing the phospholipid profile of the serum with BAL. The results may be useful as an index to determined phospholipid metabolic disorders in pulmonary surfactant and alveolar cells.