On-Tissue Direct Analysis: Analysis of Changes in Amount of Lipids in Murine Hepatopathy Model due to Administration of Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4)

Introduction

Recently, the use of the MALDI technique to analyze target biomolecules (low-molecular-weight metabolites, lipids, peptides, proteins, etc.) directly from biological tissue sections is attracting increasing attention for its potentially strong utility in disease-related biomarker discovery. Generally, tissue sections are frozen during preparation, and then the matrix solution used in the MALDI technique is applied uniformly on the tissue section using a spotter (CHIP-1000) or other such applicator. After deposition of the matrix, analysis is conducted on the tissue section by MALDI-TOF MS to detect the m/z values of target biomolecules. Then, variations in MS peaks between the site of pathology and the normal site are compared in the search for disease biomarkers. Here we introduce an example of on-tissue direct detection of phospholipid changes using MALDI-TOF MS. The sample consisted of a mouse model hepatopathological tissue section in which injury was induced by administration of carbon tetrachloride, and on-tissue direct MS analysis was conducted at time intervals following administration of the carbon tetrachloride.

July 8, 2009 GMT