No / Lipid mediators are produced from the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids through enzymatic and free radical-mediated reactions. When subject to oxygenation via cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases, and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, polyunsaturated fatty acids give rise to an array of metabolites including eicosanoids, docosanoids, and octadecanoids. These potent bioactive lipids are involved in many biochemical and signaling pathways, with inflammation being of particular importance. Moreover, because they are produced by more than one pathway and substrate, and are present in a variety of biological milieus, their analysis is not always possible with conventional assays. Liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray mass spectrometry offers a versatile and sensitive approach for the analysis of bioactive lipids, allowing specific and accurate quantitation of multiple species present in the same sample. Here we explain the principles of this approach to mediator lipidomics and present detailed protocols for the assay of enzymatically produced oxygenated metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids that can be tailored to answer biological questions or facilitate assessment of nutritional and pharmacological interventions.

Les acides docosahexaénoïque (DHA) et arachidonique (ArA), qui appartiennent respectivement aux familles n-3 et n-6, sont présents en grande quantité dans les tissus cérébraux, en particulier dans les phospholipides membranaires. Ces deux acides gras polyinsaturés (AGPI) jouent des rôles essentiels dans le fonctionnement cérébral, notamment dans le neurodéveloppement et la neuroinflammation. De plus, ces AGPI sont des précurseurs de plusieurs médiateurs lipidiques oxygénés impliqués dans divers processus physiologiques et pathologiques.Dans ce contexte, l'objectif de cette thèse était de caractériser les métabolites oxygénés dérivés du DHA et de l'ArA dans le cerveau, étape cruciale pour une meilleure compréhension de leurs rôles biologiques dans cet organe. Ainsi, une technique d'analyse à haute performance a été utilisée, la chromatographie liquide couplée à de la spectrométrie de masse en tandem (UHPLC-MS/MS), pour identifier les différents métabolites oxygénés dérivés du DHA et de l'ArA présents dans les cerveaux de rats exsanguinés et non exsanguinés, que ce soit en conditions basales ou inflammatoires. Ainsi, plusieurs produits oxygénés dérivés du DHA et de l'ArA ont été identifiés et quantifiés dans les cerveaux exsanguinés et non-exsanguinés, à la fois à l'état libre dans le cerveau mais également estérifiés dans les phospholipides. Les métabolites mono-hydroxylés sont les principaux dérivés oxygénés du DHA et de l'ArA, cependant, des quantités mesurables de produits di-hydroxylés, tels que le 8,15-diHETE et la protectine DX, ont également été détectées. L'exsanguination permet de différencier les métabolites oxygénés du tissu cérébral de ceux présents dans le sang. De plus, le métabolisme oxygéné du DHA et de l'ArA est impacté lors d'une inflammation cérébrale. En effet, dans ces conditions, la synthèse de certains métabolites est augmentée, notamment celle de la protectine D1, molécule connue pour ces fortes propriétés anti-inflammatoires. Ces résultats méritent de plus amples recherches dans des conditions pathophysiologiques, notamment lors de maladies neurodégénératives, afin d'observer leur impact sur le métabolisme oxygéné de ces AGPI / Docosahexaenoic (DHA) and arachidonic (ArA) acids, two PUFA which belong to n-3 and n-6 families respectively, are both present at high amount in brain tissues, and especially in membrane phospholipids. These two polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) play important roles in brain functioning, notably in neurodevelopment and neuroinflammation. Moreover, these PUFA are precursors of various oxygenated lipid mediators involved in diverse physiological and pathological processes. In this context, the aim of this work was to characterize oxygenated metabolites derived from DHA and ArA in brain, crucial step for better understanding their biological roles in this organ. For this purpose, a high performance analytical approach was usd, the liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), in order to identify the different oxygenated metabolites derived from DHA and ArA in exsanguinated and non-exsanguinated brains, both in basal and inflammatory conditions. Several oxygenated products from DHA and ArA were identified and measured in exsanguinated and non-exsanguinated brain, both in the free form and esterified in phospholipids. Mono-hydroxylated metabolites were the main oxygenated derivatives from DHA and ArA, however, measurable amounts of di-hydroxylated products such as 8,15-diHETE and protectin DX, were also detected. Exsanguination allowed discriminating oxygenated metabolites from brain tissue against those in blood brain. Moreover, DHA and ArA oxygenated metabolism was impacted during brain inflammation. Indeed, in these conditions, the synthesis of some metabolites was increased, including that of protectin D1, molecule known for its strong anti-inflammatory properties. These results deserve further research in pathophysiological conditions, especially in neurodegenerative diseases, in order to observe their impact on the oxygenated metabolism of these PUFA