The native lipidome comprises hundreds of lipid molecular species that facilitate myriad functions in biological systems. To maintain this lipid diversity and to support rapid lipid remodelling essential for plasticity and adaptation, living systems employ a network of chemical modifications of existing lipids. These modifications, which include enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions such as oxidation, nitration, sulfation, halogenation, etc, form the epilipidome—a subset of the natural lipidome essential for regulating complex biological functions.
In recent years, groundbreaking research in lipid modifications, particularly lipid (per)oxidation, has propelled epilipidomics to the forefront of biomedical research. Advances in technology have elucidated the role of oxidized and oxygenated lipids in the pathophysiology of numerous metabolic and degenerative disorders, including cancer. Discoveries have highlighted lipid peroxidation as a pivotal mechanism at the crossroads of cell fate decisions, where lipid oxidation acts as a key executor of ferroptotic cell death. The significance of oxygenated lipids in both acute and chronic inflammatory disorders has been reinforced by critical discoveries in oxylipin signalling and metabolism. Furthermore, protein modifications by electrophilic products of lipid peroxidation serve as signalling cues in the regulation of complex biological functions.
