DBDA Matrix Increases Ion Abundance of Fatty Acids and Sulfatides in MALDI-TOF and Mass Spectrometry Imaging Studies.

MALDI-TOF MS is a powerful tool to analyze biomolecules, owing to its soft ionization nature that generally results in simple spectra of singly charged ions. Implementation of the technology in the imaging mode provides a means to spatially map analytes in situ. Recently, a new matrix, DBDA (N1,N4-dibenzylidenebenzene-1,4-diamine) was reported to facilitate the ionization of free fatty acids in negative ion mode. Building on this finding, we sought to implement DBDA for MALDI mass spectrometry imaging studies in brain tissue and successfully map oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and arachidonic acid using mouse brain sections. Moreover, we hypothesized that DBDA would provide superior ionization for sulfatides, a class of sulfolipids with multiple biological functions. Herein, we also demonstrate that DBDA is ideal for MALDI mass spectrometry imaging of fatty acids and sulfatides in brain tissue sections. Additionally, we show enhanced ionization of sulfatides using DBDA compared with three different traditionally used MALDI matrices. Together these results provide new opportunities for studies to measure sulfatides by MALDI-TOF MS.

DBDA matrix increases ion abundance of fatty acids and sulfatides in MALDI-TOF and mass spectrometry imaging studies.

MALDI-TOF MS is a powerful tool to analyze biomolecules owing to its soft ionization nature and generally results in simple spectra of singly charged ions. Moreover, implementation of the technology in imaging mode provides a means to spatially map analytes in situ. Recently, a new matrix, DBDA (N1,N4-dibenzylidenebenzene-1,4-diamine) was reported to facilitate the ionization of free fatty acids in the negative ion mode. Building on this finding, we sought to implement DBDA for MALDI mass spectrometry imaging studies in brain tissue and successfully map oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid using mouse brain sections. Moreover, we hypothesized that DBDA would provide superior ionization for sulfatides, a class of sulfolipids, with multiple biological functions. Herein we also demonstrate that DBDA is ideal for MALDI mass spectrometry imaging of fatty acids and sulfatides in brain tissue sections. Additionally, we show enhanced ionization of sulfatides using DBDA compared to three different traditionally used MALDI matrices. Together these results provide new opportunities for studies to measure sulfatides by MALDI-TOF MS including in imaging modes.

Mass spectrometry-based lipid analysis and imaging.

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful tool for in situ mapping of analytes across a sample. With growing interest in lipid biochemistry, the ability to perform such mapping without antibodies has opened many opportunities for MSI and lipid analysis. Herein, we discuss the basics of MSI with particular emphasis on MALDI mass spectrometry and lipid analysis. A discussion of critical advancements as well as protocol details are provided to the reader. In addition, strategies for improving the detection of lipids, as well as applications in biomedical research, are presented.