Analytical technologies for lipid oxidation products analysis.

Productive investigation of the contribution of oxidative stress to human disease is facilitated by the design and application of suitable analytical technologies for oxidation product analysis. Lipid oxidation, including polyunsaturated fatty acid and cholesterol oxidation, produces a variety of products that can function as indexes of the extent of oxidation. These products include fatty acid hydroperoxides and hydroxides, aldehydes, prostanoids, hydrocarbons, and cholesterol hydroperoxides and hydroxides, epoxides, and carbonyls. Some of these oxidation products have biological activities that can contribute to tissue damage in unique ways. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art for chromatographic analysis of these products through a discussion of advances that have taken place since 1990.