Tracing Lipid Disposition In vivo Using Stable Isotope Labeled Fatty Acids and Mass Spectrometry

Dysfunctions of lipid metabolism contribute to a variety of diseases including, among others, atherosclerosis, hypertriglyceridemia and type 2 diabetes. Stable isotopes have been used to study several aspects of lipid metabolism including the synthesis and disposition of cholesterol,1,2 phospholipids3 and VLDL triglycerides. In this application note, we highlight some of the advantages and experimental considerations for using stable isotope-labeled fatty acids as substrates to study lipid metabolism in vivo in mice.