LipidBank

LipidBank is an online database that provides curated information on lipid chemical species and related analytical data. Developed to support lipidomics and chemical biology, it assembles entries for a broad range of lipids across major classes such as glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, sterol lipids, and ether lipids. Each entry typically includes the preferred name and synonyms, molecular formula and molecular weight, structural representation, and standardized identifiers such as SMILES and InChI/InChIKey. Where available, references to primary literature and cross-links to external resources are provided.

In addition to static chemical data, LipidBank often hosts or links experimental information such as mass spectral data and, when present, chromatographic retention characteristics. The database supports multiple search modalities, including text query, structure search (by drawing or SMILES), and exact or precursor mass searches, enabling researchers to identify lipids from MS data or from naming conventions.

LipidBank is publicly accessible and aims to maintain data quality through curation and periodic updates. It serves as a reference resource for scientists performing lipid identification, annotation, and pathway analyses, and it is commonly used alongside other lipid resources such as LIPID MAPS and PubChem for cross-referencing.