After collecting the spectra, computational software can be used to select an individual mass-to-charge ( m/z) value, and the intensity of the m/z is extracted from each pixel’s spectrum. The mass spectrometer then ionizes the molecules on the surface of the sample and collects a mass spectrum at each pixel on the section with the resulting spatial resolution defined by the pixel size. After minimal but careful sample preparation, the general setup of an MSI experiment involves defining an ( x, y) grid over the surface of the sample, with the grid area chosen by the user. A summary workflow is depicted in Figure 1. 1 The combination of information gained from mass spectrometry (MS) and visualization of spatial distributions in thin sample sections makes this a valuable chemical analysis tool for biological specimen characterization. It has the capability to image thousands of molecules, such as metabolites, lipids, peptides, proteins, and glycans, in a single experiment without labeling. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful tool that enables untargeted investigations into the spatial distribution of molecular species in a variety of samples.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |