Linoleic Acid (LA) (omega-6) and Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) (omega-3) are essential fatty acids and give rise to Arachidonic Acid (AA), Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) that are important in metabolic homeostasis. The omega-6:omega-3 ratio can be a prognostic consideration in cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. Sphingolipids are bioactive lipids found in cell membranes that play a role in cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Electrospray Ionization (ESI) coupled with tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS/MS) is a simple and speedy method to identify and quantify these lipids in various biological matrices. Tandem mass spectrometric analyses can be performed on cell lysates, tissue homogenates and serum samples to measure quantitative changes directly in lipid extracts from these different matrices. The present review summarizes measurement of omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs), their metabolism to eicosanoids and their role in certain disease states. Altered sphingolipid metabolism is also associated with a number of human diseases. Therefore, understanding sphingolipid metabolism is important to comprehend the function of sphingolipids in cellular processes. In this review, we focus on pathways of Ceramide (CER) and Sphingomyelin (SM) synthesis and discuss altered levels reported in disease states. Results of reported studies herein clearly show that PUFAs, SMs and CERs carry out a large number of fundamental functions. They serve as structural elements in cellular membranes, and they work as signaling molecules. Alterations in their amounts of expression occurring in diabetes, obesity, inflammation and ER stress-related conditions lead to dysfunctions contributing to disease pathogenesis.

亚油酸（LA）（omega-6）和α-亚麻酸（ALA）（omega-3）是必需脂肪酸，它们产生了花生四烯酸（AA），二十碳五烯酸（EPA）和二十二碳六烯酸（DHA），在代谢稳态中很重要。omega-6：omega-3比率可以作为心血管疾病和炎性疾病的预后考虑因素。鞘脂是在细胞膜中发现的生物活性脂质，在细胞生长，分化和凋亡中起作用。电喷雾电离（ESI）与串联质谱（MS / MS）结合使用是一种简单快速的方法，可以在各种生物基质中鉴定和定量这些脂质。可以对细胞裂解液，组织匀浆和血清样品进行串联质谱分析，以直接测量来自这些不同基质的脂质提取物中的定量变化。本综述总结了omega-3（n-3）和omega-6（n-6）多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）的测量，它们代谢成类花生酸的代谢以及它们在某些疾病状态中的作用。鞘脂代谢的改变也与许多人类疾病有关。因此，了解鞘脂代谢对于理解鞘脂在细胞过程中的功能很重要。在这篇综述中，我们重点研究神经酰胺（CER）和鞘磷脂（SM）的合成途径，并讨论疾病状态中报道的水平改变。本文报道的研究结果清楚地表明，PUFA，SM和CER具有许多基本功能。它们充当细胞膜的结构元件，并充当信号分子。在糖尿病，肥胖，