Comprehensive molecular characterisation of lipoproteins and lipids in epidemiological studies: towards combining NMR metabolomics and LC-MS/MS lipidomics

The thesis elucidates fundamental structural and metabolic interconnection among lipoprotein subclasses, facilitating a more refined comprehension of lipoprotein metabolism. A high-throughput NMR metabolomics platform was introduced by our research group to obtain quantitative lipoprotein measures, which was subsequently applied in a clinical Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery study. The research findings revealed that weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity during the six months after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery are the key physiological outcomes mediating the short-term advantageous metabolic effects. Furthermore, this study introduced an innovative approach by integrating data from both NMR and MS-based lipidomics platforms, demonstrating the inherent impact of lipoprotein-related lipid transport and metabolism on the lipidomics associations. This study pioneered to present and discuss the effects and implications of interpreting lipidomics data. The molecular lipoprotein and lipid information obtained from these combined data represents an unprecedented contribution to the field of molecular epidemiology, not only highlighting a promising direction for population studies but also offering novel insights into the complex interplay between lipoproteins and lipids in health and disease.