Controlled Tetradeuteration of Straight-Chain Fatty Acids: Synthesis, Application, and Insight into the Metabolism of Oxidized Linoleic Acid

We describe a concise and reliable protocol for the precisely controlled tetradeuteration of straight-chain fatty acids (FAs) at the alpha- and beta-positions that is generally applicable to a variety of FAs, including trans-FAs, polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs), and their oxidized derivatives. The precisely controlled introduction of four deuterium atoms into the FAs enables their persistent and quantitative tracking by LC-MS/MS analysis based on their molecular structures. In addition, the phosphatidylcholine (PC) species prepared from the tetradeuterated FAs thus obtained give a diagnostic peak, namely, a phosphocholine fragment that contains deuterium, in the LC-MS/MS analysis. With these features, the metabolism of a representative oxidized linoleic acid, that is, hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (HODE), was investigated, leading to the identification of acyltransferases that transfer the acyl moiety derived from HODE to lysophosphatidylcholine.

Automated summary

This study presents a protocol for the precise deuteration of straight-chain fatty acids, allowing for their persistent tracking and metabolic investigation. The research also identifies the acyltransferases involved in the metabolism of an oxidized fatty acid.