The Study of Derivatization Prior MALDI MSI Analysis—Charge Tagging Based on the Cholesterol and Betaine Aldehyde
Przemyslaw Mielczarek,
Tymoteusz Slowik,
Jolanta Helena Kotlinska,
Piotr Suder,
Anna Bodzon-Kulakowska
Affiliations
Przemyslaw Mielczarek
Laboratory of Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12 St., 31-343 Krakow, Poland
Tymoteusz Slowik
Experimental Medicine Center, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8D St., 20-090 Lublin, Poland
Jolanta Helena Kotlinska
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University of Lublin, Chodzki 4a St., 20-093 Lublin, Poland
Piotr Suder
Department of Analytical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH University of Science and Technology, A. Mickiewicza 30 Ave., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Anna Bodzon-Kulakowska
Department of Analytical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH University of Science and Technology, A. Mickiewicza 30 Ave., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Mass spectrometry imaging is a powerful tool for analyzing the different kinds of molecules in tissue sections, but some substances cannot be measured easily, due to their physicochemical properties. In such cases, chemical derivatization could be applied to introduce the charge into the molecule and facilitate its detection. Here, we study cholesterol derivatization with betaine aldehyde from tissue slices and evaluate how different sample preparation methods influence the signal from the derivatization product. In this study, we have tested different solutions for betaine aldehyde, different approaches to betaine aldehyde deposition (number of layers, deposition nozzle height), and different MALDI matrices for its analysis. As a result, we proved that the proposed approach could be used for the analysis of cholesterol in different tissues.
