Use of solid phase extraction in the biochemistry laboratory to separate different lipids

Abstract Solid‐phase extraction (SPE) was used to demonstrate how various lipids and lipid classes could be separated in a biochemistry laboratory setting. Three different SPE methods were chosen on their ability to separate a lipid mixture, consisting of a combination of a either a fatty acid, a triacylglycerol, a mono‐ or diacylglycerol, phospholipid, cholesterol, or cholesteryl ester into distinct lipid fractions. These mini‐scale SPE methods used aminopropyl‐bonded silica columns or silica Sep‐Pak cartridges suitable for completion in a 2‐ to 3‐h time block. Thin‐layer chromatography of the isolated lipid fractions was used to show separation characteristics and to evaluate the utility and reproducibility of each SPE method.