Lipidomics

Lipid Class List (47 Classes)

LIPID CLASS LIST

Broad lipid coverage: the 47 lipid classes covered by this service — and the nomenclature used in reports — follow the LIPID MAPS classification system; the largest public lipid database has curated over 50,000 unique lipid structures.

Extended analysis: the lipidomics cloud workflow is available on the OmicsHub platform — upload a matrix table to one-click reproduce QC, lipid composition, carbon-chain structure, differential screening and class-enrichment analyses, with report figures interactively adjustable in the cloud.

Bioinformatics Analyses (8 Lipid-Specific Modules)

BIOINFORMATIC MODULES

Module	Core Methods & Metrics	Key Outputs
Lipid Composition	Hierarchical treemap of lipid classes (main class → subclass); stacked bar charts of relative class abundance per group; intergroup boxplots of the top-12 lipid classes with differential tests	Classification treemaps, stacked abundance plots, boxplots, class statistics tables
Carbon-Chain Structure	Bubble plots of chain length vs. unsaturation; count heatmaps of major lipid classes × total carbon number; stacked bar charts of saturation composition for major classes	Chain bubble plots, count heatmaps, saturation composition plots and statistics tables
Acyl Chains & Ether Lipids	Acyl-chain composition analysis (Top 15); class-distribution analysis of ether lipids (O- / P-)	Acyl-chain bar charts, ether-lipid distribution plots and statistics tables
Differential Lipid Screening	Volcano plots and class-colored versions; FC + p threshold screening; strategy auto-switches between VIP + P and FC + P based on permutation-test results	Volcano plots (incl. classified), differential lipid lists
Differential Lipid Abundance	Hierarchical clustering; complex heatmap of top-50 significant lipids; abundance analysis; correlation and Z-score analyses of top-10 up/down-regulated lipids	Cluster heatmaps, complex heatmaps, correlation and Z-score plots
Lipid Class Enrichment	Fisher's exact test answers whether differential lipids concentrate in specific classes; carbon-chain distribution comparison of differential lipids	Enrichment result tables, chain-distribution comparison plots
Biomarker Screening	Per-lipid ROC curves and AUC ranking to assess diagnostic/subtyping performance (performed when each group has ≥5 samples); Venn diagrams of differential lipids across comparisons	ROC plots, AUC ranking tables, Venn diagrams
Nomenclature & Data Tables	Cross-reference of lipid class abbreviations and full names; explanation of the "carbon number : double-bond number" nomenclature	Classification cross-reference tables, full lipid statistics and screening result tables

Example Results

SELECTED FIGURES FROM ACTUAL REPORTS

Lipid Class Treemap

Main classes (Glycerophospholipids / Sphingolipids / Glycerolipids / Fatty Acyls) and subclass composition, sized by detected lipid counts.

Stacked Bar Chart of Class Abundance

Relative class-abundance composition per group and intergroup differences.

Intergroup Class Boxplots (Top 12)

Distribution boxplots of the 12 most abundant lipid classes across groups.

Chain Length vs. Unsaturation Bubble Plot

Bubble size encodes lipid counts, showing distributions of chain length and unsaturation.

Class × Total-Carbon Count Heatmap

Heatmap of lipid counts for major classes at each total-carbon-number level.

Acyl-Chain Composition Bar Chart (Top 15)

Composition of the 15 most abundant acyl chains.

Applications

APPLICATIONS

Lipid-Metabolism DisordersMembrane Composition & FunctionLipid Biomarker DiscoveryNutrition & Lipid MetabolismSkin / Neural Lipid Research

FAQ

How long does a Lipidomics project take?

Mature targeted panels typically take 1-3 weeks; untargeted projects take 2-4 weeks (counted from sample receipt and QC approval). The exact timeline is confirmed in writing before project start, and progress is trackable on the OmicsHub cloud platform.

What if my sample amount is below the recommendation?

Please do not dilute your samples. Low-input samples can often be accommodated by adjusting the preparation workflow — tell us the actual amount and our technical team will assess feasibility and note adjustments in the study plan.

Can I add targets to an existing panel?

Yes. Mature panels support on-demand additions; novel analytes outside the list can be implemented through custom method development (requires standards and extra validation time) — see our Custom Targeted Metabolomics service.

What samples do you need for Lipidomics?

Serum/plasma ≥100 μL (fasting, no haemolysis), tissue ≥50 mg (snap-frozen), cells ≥1×10⁶ (medium washed off), urine ≥200 μL. Keep fasting time consistent, aliquot into single-use volumes and avoid freeze–thaw. Full guidance: Technical Resources → Sample Guide.