基于纳米材料的质谱成像研究进展

纳米材料种类的多样性以及性能的可调性为质谱分析方法的开发提供了多种可能。近年来,随着质谱分析技术的不断革新与发展,研究者逐步尝试将纳米材料辅助的质谱分析技术推进到质谱成像研究领域。利用纳米材料作为辅助电离介质和信号分子载体,质谱成像技术在实施未知物鉴别的同时可实现目标分子的精确定位,进而呈现生物分子、药物、环境污染物等在组织与细胞中的空间分布信息,为基于组织样本的病理生理学研究提供更直观的技术手段。本文总结了基于纳米材料的质谱成像技术的主要原理和研究进展,并对其未来发展及应用进行了展望。     

质谱分子成像技术与应用进展

该文总结了二次离子质谱、基质辅助激光解吸电离质谱和常压敞开式离子化质谱三大类型质谱分子成像（MSI）技术的概况、技术与方法及其应用新进展。MSI技术作为免标记、高覆盖、高灵敏、检测范围广的可视化分析手段,不局限于生物组织或细胞中某种特定分子的检测,可对已知和未知多种分子进行同时成像分析,获得不同分子的空间分布、相对含量及结构信息,实现其分子的定性、定量与定位分析;还可提供不同生理及病理过程中功能分子的动态时空变化信息等。因此,MSI技术成为质谱领域以及分析化学等领域的研究前沿与热点方向之一,并在化学、医学、生命科学、药学和环境科学等领域显示出重大应用前景。此外,MSI技术是单细胞可视化分析和空间分辨代谢组学的强有力分析手段,可从动物或器官组织的整体、微区、单细胞等不同空间尺度,获取具有空间分布特征、时空动态变化的功能分子全景轮廓信息等而备受关注。     

核酸适配体在质谱中的应用与展望

核酸适配体(简称适配体)是一类重要的"化学抗体"型功能性生物分子,基于适配体的质谱技术在提供分子质量及结构特征等基础上,兼具了针对靶分子的高选择性及亲和富集特点,从而提供出高特异、高灵敏信息。本文综述了近年来适配体在质谱分析中的应用进展,重点评述了适配体在质谱分子相互作用表征中的应用、适配体作为离线型和在线亲和材料用于质谱分析测定等现状,其中结合多种质谱新技术,通过创建或结合多种前处理或在线一体化信号增强方式,特别是适配体功能化纳米材料的应用,在相互作用表征、痕量靶分子选择性提取和高灵敏检测等质谱分析测定方面是研究的重点。最后,本文对适配体在质谱研究中的应用前景进行了展望。     

质谱成像技术在肿瘤研究中的应用进展

质谱成像(Mass spectrometry imaging,MSI)作为一种新型的分子成像技术,具有无需标记、无需复杂样品前处理、高通量等优点,可实现脂类、代谢物等的直接分析,并可获得组织切片中物质的空间分布信息,已成为生物、医学等领域研究的有力工具。离子化技术是质谱成像的关键和核心,新型质谱成像离子化技术的不断涌现,推动了质谱成像技术在肿瘤研究中的应用。该文着重介绍了当前主要质谱成像技术的原理及特点,并对其在肿瘤的病理诊断、标志物、药物研究等方面的应用进行评述,为质谱成像技术在肿瘤方面的研究提供参考。     

NEWS

表复杂基体样品分子信息的快速高效获取是在分子层次上探索复杂体系化学本质的重要环节,是生命科学、食品、医药等领域发展的基础。采用常规质谱技术获取复杂基体样品分子信息时,一般需经繁复冗长的样品预处理,分析效率低,限制了相关领域的发展。近年来,东华理工大学江西省质谱科学与仪器重点实验室致力于对能量与电荷(简称能荷)在多相、多维复杂基体样品中传递及分子电离过程研究,提出了帮助理解能荷传递与中性分子电离过程的电子云     

基于质谱技术的食品过敏原检测方法研究进展

食品过敏原分析在食品安全领域具有重要的研究意义。质谱技术由于能够提供待分析物的化学结构信息等特点,已逐渐应用于食品过敏原等大分子检测领域,具有简单高效、高特异性、高通量和高灵敏度等优点,引起了研究者们的广泛关注。该文综述了近年来质谱技术在食品过敏原检测领域的最新研究进展情况。     

基于先进紫外光源的生物质谱技术的最新进展及展望

生物大分子质谱是研究复杂生命体系中分子的序列组成、动态结构、相互作用和空间分布的前沿科学领域.先进紫外光源特别是同步辐射、自由电子激光等大科学装置的发展,为光解离-串联质谱和光电离-质谱成像等生物大分子质谱研究尖端技术的进步提供了新的机遇.本综述中,我们总结了不同波长先进光源包括X射线、极紫外激光等在蛋白质、脂质等生物分子高效光解离和序列、结构、相互作用表征,光化学氧化标记和动态结构分析,高效光电离和高灵敏度质谱检测及空间分布成像等领域的研究进展;进一步展望了新一代先进紫外光源特别是具有更高亮度、更短脉冲、更高重频的极紫外自由电子激光在生物大分子质谱研究中的应用前景和可能带来的技术突破.     

如何看EI-MS质谱图

电子轰击源质谱(EI-MS)是质谱测定中经常使用、也是提供质谱结构信息最丰富的技术之一。面对一张完全未知化合物质谱图中的任意一个峰,能马上回答出是奇质量、偶质量、奇电荷、偶电荷峰,是分子峰、碎片峰、重排峰,含奇数氮、偶数氮(包括不含氮),含碳原子、硫原子、氯原子、溴原子数目等系列质谱结构信息,是质谱结构分析的基本功。     

手性分子识别的质谱研究进展

由于质谱分析速度快以及所需样品量少等特点，使得质谱手性识别技术在现代分析化学、有机化学甚至生物化学等领域得到青睐，阐述了手性分子识别的质谱研究最新动向，对其原理和所使用的手性选择剂作了介绍。     

空气动力辅助离子化新型质谱技术用于药物快速实时分析的研究

采用自主研制的新型空气动力辅助离子化质谱技术(AFAI-MS)及其装置,对违法饲料添加的未知药片进行了快速实时质谱分析,并对其中的药效成分进行了结构鉴定研究。通过本技术快速、高效地获取了药片中有效成分的一级质谱、二级质谱、分子离子的精确质量数等关键结构信息。在此基础上,结合"抗胆碱"的药理作用以及网络数据库搜索结果,分析推断出该药效成分为山莨菪碱;并结合对照品比对分析,最终确定该未知药片为山莨菪碱片。本方法为药物相关领域中复杂样品的快速实时检测提供了有效的分析途径,并为打击药品违法添加提供了重要的分析依据。     

Mass spectrometry imaging for biomedical applications

The development of technologies for mass spectrometry imaging is of substantial research interest. Mass spectrometry is potentially capable of providing highly specific information about the distribution of compounds in tissues, with high sensitivity. The in-situ analysis needed for tissue imaging requires MS to be performed under conditions different from the traditional ones, typically with intensive sample preparation and optimized for pharmaceutical applications. In this paper we critically review the current status of MS imaging with different methods of sample ionization and discuss the 3D and quantitative imaging capabilities which need further development, the importance of the multi-modal imaging, and the balance between the pursuit of high-resolution imaging and the practical application of MS imaging in biomedicine.     

成像技术在食品安全与质量控制中的研究进展

食品质量与安全是政府、食品行业以及消费者十分关注的问题。为了保证食品质量与安全,需要对食品中的风险因子进行检测。传统的分析方法如生物化学方法和仪器分析方法(色谱法、色谱-质谱法)存在前处理比较复杂,耗时,对样品具有破坏性及无法获取目标物空间信息等缺点。因此,开发快速,无损,实时和可视化的检测技术十分重要,这也是食品领域研究的热点。近年来,高光谱成像技术融合了成像和光谱两种技术,可以作为一种用于食品质量和安全评估的非破坏性和实时检测的工具。拉曼光谱成像技术可以同时获得待测物的光谱和空间信息,具有快速,无损和低成本等优点,在食品安全评价和质量控制中也得到了成功应用。质谱成像技术不需要标记和染色,即可实现样品组织表面待测物的可视化和高通量分析。它作为一种分子可视化技术,可以获得食品中营养成分及内、外源性有害物质的空间分布信息,在食品领域也表现出良好的应用前景。本文检索了近几年国内外发表的成像技术在食品研究中的相关文献,介绍了高光谱成像技术、拉曼光谱成像技术和质谱成像技术的原理,并综述了它们在食品安全与质量控制中的应用。此外,本文分析和讨论了这几种成像技术的优缺点,并对成像技术在食品领域的发展...     

Mass spectrometry imaging of small molecules from live cells and tissues using nanomaterials

We review recently developed methods for analyzing live cells and tissues in ambient conditions without the use of harsh chemical fixation or physical freezing and drying. The first method is based on laser ablation in atmospheric pressure assisted by atmospheric pressure plasma and nanomaterials such as nanoparticles and graphene to enhance laser ablation. The second method is based on secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging of live cells in solution capped with single-layer graphene to preserve intact and hydrated biological samples even under ultrahigh vacuum for secondary ion mass spectrometry bio-imaging in solution with subcellular spatial resolution. Mass spectrometry imaging of small molecules from live cells and tissues can provide an innovative molecular imaging methodology for several biomedical and material research applications.     

Direct profiling and imaging of peptides and proteins from mammalian cells and tissue sections by mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry can be used to map the distribution of targeted compounds in tissue, providing important molecular information in many areas of biological research. Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization - time of flight - mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) is well suited for the analysis of tissue samples with a spatial resolution of about 30 microm for compounds in a mass range from 1000 to over 50 000 Da. Direct analysis of tissue sections requires spotting or coating of the tissue with a matrix compound typically sinapinic acid or other cinnamic acid analogs. A raster of this sample by the laser beam and subsequent mass analysis of the desorbed ions can record molecular intensities throughout the section. The overall process is illustrated by profiling and imaging of mouse epididymis sections where protein activity changes markedly throughout the section.     

Tandem Mass Spectrometry Imaging Enables High Definition for Mapping Lipids in Tissues

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of lipids in biological tissues is useful for correlating molecular distribution with pathological results, which could provide useful information for both biological research and disease diagnosis. It is well understood that the lipidome could not be clearly deciphered without tandem mass spectrometry analysis, but this is challenging to achieve in MSI due to the limitation in sample amount at each image spot. Here we develop a multiplexed MS² imaging (MS²I) method that can provide MS² images for 10 lipid species or more for each sampling spot, providing spatial structural lipidomic information. Coupling with on-tissue photochemical derivatization, imaging of 20 phospholipid C=C location isomers is also realized, showing enhanced molecular images with high definition in structure for mouse brain and human liver cancer tissue sections. Spatially mapped t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding has also been adopted to visualize the tumor margin with enhancement by structural lipidomic information.     

Recent advances of ambient ionization mass spectrometry imaging in clinical research

The structural information and spatial distribution of molecules in biological tissues are closely related to the potential molecular mechanisms of disease origin, transfer, and classification. Ambient ionization mass spectrometry imaging is an effective tool that provides molecular images while describing in situ information of biomolecules in complex samples, in which ionization occurs at atmospheric pressure with the samples being analyzed in the native state. Ambient ionization mass spectrometry imaging can directly analyze tissue samples at a fairly high resolution to obtain molecules in situ information on the tissue surface to identify pathological features associated with a disease, resulting in the wide applications in pharmacy, food science, botanical research, and especially clinical research. Herein, novel ambient ionization techniques, such as techniques based on spray and solid‐liquid extraction, techniques based on plasma desorption, techniques based on laser desorption ablation, and techniques based on acoustic desorption were introduced, and the data processing of ambient ionization mass spectrometry imaging was briefly reviewed. Besides, we also highlight recent applications of this imaging technology in clinical researches and discuss the challenges in this imaging technology and the perspectives on the future of the clinical research.     

Combined Analysis of NMR and MS Spectra (CANMS)

Cellular metabolism in mammalian cells represents a challenge for analytical chemistry in the context of current biomedical research. Mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy together with computational tools have been used to study metabolism in cells. Compartmentalization of metabolism complicates the interpretation of stable isotope patterns in mammalian cells owing to the superimposition of different pathways contributing to the same pool of analytes. This indicates a need for a model‐free approach to interpret such data. Mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy provide complementary analytical information on metabolites. Herein an approach that simulates ¹³C multiplets in NMR spectra and utilizes mass increments to obtain long‐range information is presented. The combined information is then utilized to derive isotopomer distributions. This is a first rigorous analytical and computational approach for a model‐free analysis of metabolic data applicable to mammalian cells.     

Comprehensive molecular imaging of photolabile surface samples with synchronized dual-polarity time-of-flight mass spectrometry

This work presents the unique features of a novel configuration of a synchronized dual-polarity time-of-flight mass spectrometer for comprehensive surface imaging. Mass spectrometry imaging of surface samples covering positive and negative ion modes is difficult due to rapid signal depletion. This limitation is overcome here by dual-polarity time-of-flight mass spectrometry (DP-TOFMS) via two separate TOF mass analyzers that are installed above a sample surface. The new instrument eliminates the polarity bias characteristic of most mass spectrometers, which is important for the analysis of samples with diverse physical and chemical properties. The experimental results show for the first time that the spatial distribution of positive and negative ions of various photolabile samples can be distinguished, including pigments and conventional matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization samples. The different positive and negative ion distributions suggest that accurate quantitative information can only be obtained when the entire sample region is examined by DP-TOFMS, which was unfeasible in the past. Such a comprehensive diagnostic method is essential for the molecular imaging of trace compositions in delicate biological tissues, as demonstrated here with a Phyllanthus urinaria leaf that only produced ion signals in the first examination and not in the subsequent measurements.     

Multiplex target protein imaging in tissue sections by mass spectrometry--TAMSIM

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) is becoming a popular tool for imaging histological sections. Currently, this technology is used to image naturally occurring molecules. Here we report a novel development for multiplex imaging of candidate proteins. Rather than detecting whatever molecules happen to be present and above the detection threshold in the desorption pixel, we attach photocleavable mass tags to antibodies to target proteins. 'Staining' of histological sections is carried out similarly to common immunohistochemical procedures with chemiluminescent or fluorescent detection using all antibodies of a multiplex simultaneously. Mass tags with discrete masses are released from their respective antibodies by a laser pulse at 355 nm without added matrix. After scanning, mass spectrometry images are created for the mass of each tag. In contrast to fluorescent tags, mass tags do not exhibit mutual quenching. Sections of healthy human pancreatic tissue were imaged to visualize synaptophysin in neuroendocrine cells, and sections from human lymph node and liver invaded by metastatic melanoma to localize the cancer markers PS100 and HMB45 simultaneously. All these proteins are below the detection threshold of direct MALDI-MS imaging. This method is termed TAMSIM for TArgeted multiplex Mass Spectrometry IMaging.     

Silver‐109‐based laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry method for detection and quantification of amino acids

A new methodology applicable for both high‐resolution laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and mass spectrometry imaging of amino acids is presented. The matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization‐type target containing monoisotopic cationic ¹⁰⁹Ag nanoparticles (¹⁰⁹AgNPs) was used for rapid mass spectrometry measurements of 11 amino acids of different chemical properties. Amino acids were directly tested in 100,000‐fold concentration change conditions ranging from 100 μg/mL to 1 ng/mL which equates to 50 ng to 500 fg of amino acid per measurement spot. Limit of detection values obtained suggest that presented method/target system is among the fastest and most sensitive ones in laser mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry imaging of spots of human blood plasma spiked with amino acids showed their surface distribution allowing optimization of quantitative measurements.