Plasmalogens are a group of lipids mainly found in the cell membranes. They occur in anaerobic bacteria and in some protozoa, invertebrates and vertebrates, including humans. Their occurrence in plants and fungi is controversial. They can protect cells from damage by reactive oxygen species, protect other phospholipids or lipoprotein particles against oxidative stress, and have been implicated as signaling molecules and modulators of membrane dynamics. Biosynthesis in anaerobic and aerobic organisms occurs by different pathways, and the main biosynthetic pathway in anaerobic bacteria was clarified only this year (2021). Many different analytical techniques have been used for plasmalogen analysis, some of which are detailed below. These can be divided into two groups: shotgun lipidomics, or electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in combination with high performance liquid chromatography (LC-MS). The advantages and limitations of both techniques are discussed here, using examples from anaerobic bacteria to specialized mammalian (human) organs.

缩醛磷脂是一组主要存在于细胞膜中的脂质。它们存在于厌氧细菌和一些原生动物、无脊椎动物和脊椎动物中，包括人类。它们在植物和真菌中的出现是有争议的。它们可以保护细胞免受活性氧的损害，保护其他磷脂或脂蛋白颗粒免受氧化应激，并被认为是信号分子和膜动力学的调节剂。厌氧菌和好氧菌的生物合成通过不同的途径发生，厌氧菌的主要生物合成途径直到今年（2021年）才被阐明。许多不同的分析技术已用于缩醛磷脂分析，其中一些详述如下。这些可以分为两组：鸟枪法脂质组学，或电喷雾电离质谱与高效液相色谱 (LC-MS) 相结合。这里讨论了这两种技术的优点和局限性，使用从厌氧细菌到专门的哺乳动物（人体）器官的例子。