Biosynthesis and analytics of specialized pro-resolving mediators: facts and faults
Year: 2026
Type: review
Abstract: Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) have been suggested to act as key factors that mediate the resolution of inflammation. With the availability of synthetic standards, pharmacological studies have garnered support for the hypothesis. However, assessment of the catalytic properties of lipoxygenases as well as investigations of the signaling of the proposed SPM receptors raise serious doubt that SPMs are endogenous mediators of the resolution of inflammation. In line with this, careful evaluation of published data on SPM detection revealed a lack of evidence for many reported SPMs in biological samples due to analytical LC-MS/MS methods that do not meet the quality standards of the scientific community, or they rely on ELISAs that lack selectivity and are not suited for the establishment of the presence of SPMs in complex biological samples. Furthermore, artefacts due to autoxidation of PUFAs can be misinterpreted as SPM formation. In this review, we critically assess the published reports on the biosynthesis and analysis of SPMs and summarize the current status in the field.
Source: Journal of Lipid Research
Authors: Nils Helge Schebb, Hartmut Kühn, Nadja Kampschulte, Nicolas Flamand, Marc Peters-Golden, Per-Johan Jakobsson, Hans-Erik Claesson, Karsten H. Weylandt, Nadine Rohwer, Meike J. Saul, Eugen Proschak, Bernhard Brüne, Ulrike Garscha, Thorsten J. Maier, Paola Patrignani, Miguel A. Gijón, Francisco J. Schopfer, Stacy L. Gelhaus, Michael H. Gelb, Robert C. Murphy, Carsten Skarke, Alan R. Brash, Bruce A. Freeman, Ian A. Blair, Derek W. Gilroy, Gerd Geisslinger, Julien Hanson, Kim Ekroos, Garret A. FitzGerald, Astrid S. Kahnt, Valerie B. O’Donnell, Mohamad Wessam Alnouri, Stefan Offermanns, Dieter Steinhilber
Institutions: University of Wuppertal, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, University of Michigan, Michigan Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, University of Potsdam, Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg Theodor Fontane, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, German Institute of Human Nutrition, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Goethe University Frankfurt, Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology, Universität Greifswald, Paul Ehrlich Institut, University of Chieti-Pescara, Cayman Chemical (United States), University of Pittsburgh, University of Washington, University of Colorado Denver, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, University College London, University of Liège, Cardiff University, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research
Language: English
Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,430
Funders: UK Research and Innovation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS, LOEWE Zentrum AdRIA, National Institutes of Health, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Medical Research Council, Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Immune-Mediated Diseases
Awards: Systems Lipidomics tools and resources for biomedical research; LIPID MAPS., G149937460, G1570365839, G1854627274, G2013436488, Bringing Untargeted Metabolomics to Pitt, G2928781884, Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the biosynthesis and hydrolysis of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol and its congeners, G4001755083, G408112445, G4349262360, G5693610442, An Exploris 240 for Metabolomics, G6203446980, Analytical approaches to fatty acid oxygenases and their lipid mediator products, G783503855, G9000036038, G9000043450, G9000264891, Impact of dietary lipid components on phototherapy used to treat inflammatory skin conditions
OpenAlex ID: W7204599042