Simple analysis of plasmalogens in erythrocytes using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with selected-ion monitoring acquisition.

Plasmalogens are a unique class of ether-phospholipids whose role, even though not fully defined, is essential. Their biosynthesis starts in peroxisomes, therefore, plasmalogen analysis is fundamental in the study of peroxisomal disorders. The present work reports a simple method for plasmalogen determination in erythrocytes for use in the study of peroxisomal disorders in humans; the procedure is based on two other methods that have previously been reported and employs GC/MS for separation and detection.