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Abstract
In recent years, MALDI imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) has developed as a promising tool to investigate the spatial distribution of biomolecules in intact tissue specimens. Ion densities of various molecules can be displayed as heat maps while preserving anatomical structures. In this short review, an overview of different biomolecules that can be analyzed by MALDI-IMS is given. Many reviews have covered imaging of lipids, small metabolites, whole proteins and enzymatically digested proteins in the past. However, little is known about imaging of endogenous peptides, for example, in the rat brain, and this will therefore be highlighted in this review. Furthermore, sample preparation of frozen or formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue is crucial for imaging experiments. Therefore, some aspects of sample preparation will be addressed, including washing and desalting, the choice of MALDI matrix and its deposition. Apart from mapping endogenous peptides, their reliable identification in situ still remains challenging and will be discussed as well.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.