Fig. 5From: Alterations in arginine and energy metabolism, structural and signalling lipids in metastatic breast cancer in mice detected in plasma by targeted metabolomics and lipidomicsChanges in lipid fractions detected in plasma in a murine model of 4T1 metastatic breast cancer indicating alterations in membrane structure and lipid signalling. Increase of phospholipase A2 activity observed as a decrease in total plasma phosphatidylcholines (a) and an increase of lysophosphatidylocholines (b). Changes in diacyl chain phosphatidylcholine fractions: decrease in diester-bound phosphatidylcholines (c) and increase in ester-ether-bound (plasmalogen) fraction (d). Decrease in unsaturation of plasma lipids, measured as a ratio of polyunsaturated lipids to saturated lipids (e). Increased short-chain phospholipid fraction (f). Increase in arachidonic acid release, measured indirectly as a sum of specific ratios of most abundant lysophosphatidylocholines to phosphatidylcholines indicating release of arachidonic acid (LysoPC 16:0/PC 36:4, LysoPC 16:1/PC 36:1, LysoPC 18:0/ PC 38:4, LysoPC 18:1/PC 38:5, LysoPC18:2/PC 38:6) (g) and decrease of lysophosphatidylocholine-containing arachidonic acid (h). Increase of total amount of sphingomyelins (SMs) in 4T1 tumour-bearing mice (i). Changes in the plasma concentration of sphingosine-1-phosphate (j). Empty bars represent control animals, and black bars represent tumour-bearing mice. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 10). The data were analysed with either analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey’s post hoc test (Total PC ae/Total PC, Lyso PC a 20:4/Total Lyso PC, Total SM/Total PC) or a non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA (Total PC, Total Lyso PC/Total PC, Total PC aa/Total PC, PUFA (PC)/SFA (PC), Short AcPC/Total PC, AA release, S-1-P), depending on the normality of distribution and variance homogeneity (F test), with statistical significance set at *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001Back to article page