Furthermore, these structural variations inform the physiological role of individual lipid molecules. Importantly, recent research implicates alterations in FA structure and/or composition associated with lipid metabolism dysregulation in numerous pathologies, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegeneration, and diabetes. For example, long-chain saturated fatty acids were identified as the toxic factor killing injured neurons and oligodendrocytes in the brain during inflammation. Consequently, analytical methods capable of accurately identifying and quantifying FAs in complex biological samples are needed in order to unravel their roles in health and disease.