Evaluation of lipid profiles in three species of ascidians using UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS-based lipidomic study

Ascidians are excellent, yet underused, marine sources of unique bioactive compounds of high nutritive content. However, reports regarding the lipid composition of ascidians are rare. In this study, using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, we aimed to characterize the lipid profile of the tunics and inner body tissues of three species of ascidians, including Ciona intestinalis, Halocynthia roretzi, and Styela clava. We identified over 245 molecular species from 13 major lipid subclasses; glycerophospholipids (GP) and glycerolipids were the dominant lipid components in these three ascidian species (accounted for 66.30–90.60% of total lipids). Importantly, GP enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids mainly existed in the inner body tissues of ascidians, which accounted for 18.17–32.47% of total lipids. Considering the high level of GP, we proposed that ascidians can be potentially used as health-promoting food for humans.