Evidence mapPaperPMID 42417895Full record

SynthesisMetabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society2026

Clinical lipidomics in bacterial sepsis: a systematic review of serum and plasma evaluations.

Nurul Saadah Ahmad, Rosni Ibrahim, Toh Leong Tan, Syarul Nataqain Baharum, Zamberi Sekawi

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Nurul Saadah AhmadDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1032-4004
Rosni IbrahimDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0819-6434
Toh Leong TanDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6771-0141
Syarul Nataqain BaharumMetabolomics Research Laboratory, Institute of Systems Biology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8376-1224
Zamberi SekawiDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. zamberi@upm.edu.my.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5387-9640

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLipid metabolism plays a central role in host-pathogen interactions and immune regulation during bacterial sepsis, with its dysregulation contributing to organ failure and mortality. Blood-based lipidomics has emerged as a promising approach for identifying diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in sepsis. However, discrepancies in lipid profiles between serum and plasma remain a major challenge for clinical translation. This systematic review synthesizes lipidomic evidence from serum and plasma in bacterial sepsis patients to identify reproducible lipid biomarkers, evaluate methodological heterogeneity and assess associations with clinical outcomes.

methodsA systematic search of five databases (Scopus, Pubmed, Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science and Google Scholar) identified nine eligible studies published between 2016 and 2025 that applied untargeted or targeted lipidomics on human serum and plasma samples from adult bacterial sepsis patients (PROSPERO: CRD420251086177).

resultsAcross both matrices, reproducible candidate lipid biomarkers included triacylglycerols (TAG), phosphatidylcholines (PC), lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC), sphingomyelins (SM) and ceramides. Synthesized findings revealed characteristically distinct directional trajectories: consistent elevation of TAG, bidirectional shifts of PC, depletion of LPC, bidirectional shifts of SM and elevation of SM. Preliminary trend within the literature indicates that serum-based studies more frequently captured prognostic alterations, whereas plasma-based studies often focused on diagnostic discrimination. Substantial heterogeneity was observed in sample handling, lipid extraction protocols and analytical platforms.

conclusionsOverall, both matrices offer valuable clinical insights, though these apparent differences in diagnostic or prognostic utility may reflect primary study designs rather than intrinsic matrix superiorities. Methodological heterogeneity limits reproducibility, highlighting the need for standardized workflows to enable translation of sepsis lipid biomarkers.

Indexed as

LipidomicsLipidsSepsisBiomarkersHumansLipid MetabolismBiomarkersLipidsBacterial infectionLipidomicsPlasmaSepsisSerum

Identifiers

PMID42417895
PMCPMC13346244

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.