Visualization of Functional Food Factors by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry.

Dietary habit is closely associated with healthspan. Functional food factors are key to maintaining a health metabolism in our bodies. Because functional food factors are main components to determine the quality of foods, many technologies have been established to analyze functional factors in foods. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is a solid approach to detect functional food factors with high sensitivity and specificity. Findings obtained from these mass spectrometric approaches play essential roles in estimating the quality of foods. However, these technologies are not available for the analysis of the spatial distribution of molecules of interest in foods. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) is considered an ideal approach to visualize distribution of molecules in foods. MALDI-MSI is a two-dimensional MALDI-MS technology that can detect compounds in a tissue section without purification, separation, or labeling. MALDI-MSI can be used to visualize the spatial distribution of wide range of food components including protein, peptides, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrate, and vitamins. Although the methodology of MALDI-MSI in food science is not yet fully established, the versatility of MALDI-MSI is expected to open a new frontier in food science. In this mini review, we briefly summarized the applications of MALDI-MSI in the field of food science.

Inhaled volatile ß-caryophyllene is incorporated into the aortic wall and attenuates nicotine-induced aorta degeneration via a CB2 receptor-dependent pathway.

ß-caryophyllene (BCP) is a volatile bicyclic sesquiterpenoid found in essential oils obtained from several spices such as black pepper, oregano, basil, rosemary, cinnamon, and clove. BCP is a selective agonist of cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2 receptor), and orally administered BCP exhibits various biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects. However, it is still unclear how volatile BCP affects living organisms. We previously reported that inhaled BCP is transferred to sera and organs in mice; additionally, metabolomic analysis revealed inhaled BCP affect the dynamics of metabolites in the livers of mice. These data suggest that inhaled BCP may affect several biological activities by stimulating biological systems. In this study, we evaluated the effects of BCP inhalation on nicotine-induced degeneration of the aortic wall. In the group of mice which inhaled volatile BCP, nicotine-induced increases in elastic fiber degradation and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2)-positive areas were attenuated. In addition, BCP improved the nicotine-induced stiffness of aortae and vulnerability to aortic rupture. In cultured aortae, the suppressive effects of BCP were inhibited by the CB2 receptor inhibitor AM630. These results suggest that inhaled BCP is incorporated into the aortic wall and prevents nicotine-induced degeneration of the aorta via a CB2 receptor-dependent pathway.

Different effects of high-fat and high-sucrose diets on the physiology of perivascular adipose tissues of the thoracic and abdominal aorta.

Vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and aneurysms are associated with diet. Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) was reportedly involved in the regulation of vascular functions. It is suggested that imbalanced diets can cause PVAT inflammation and dysfunction as well as impaired vascular function. However, the association between diets and PVAT are not clearly understood. Here, we showed that a high-fat and a high-sucrose diet affected PVAT at different sites. A high-fat diet induced increased number of large-sized lipid droplets and increased CD (Cluster of differentiation) 68+ macrophage- and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1-positive areas in the abdominal aortic PVAT (aPVAT). In addition, a high-fat diet caused decreased collagen fibre-positive area and increased CD68+ macrophage- and MCP-1-positive areas in the abdominal aorta. In contrast, a high-sucrose diet induced increased number of large-sized lipid droplets, increased CD68+ macrophage- and MCP-1-positive areas, and decreased UCP-1 positive area in the thoracic aortic PVAT (tPVAT). A high-sucrose diet caused decreased collagen fibre-positive area and increased CD68+ macrophage- and MCP-1-positive areas in the thoracic aorta. These results could be attributed to the different adipocyte populations in the tPVAT and aPVAT. Our results provide pathological evidence to improve our understanding of the relationship between diet and vascular diseases.