Lipid imaging with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS)

Abstract

Fundamental advances in secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) now allow for the examination and characterization of lipids directly from biological materials. The successful application of SIMS-based imaging in the investigation of lipids directly from tissue and cells are demonstrated. Common complications and technical pitfalls are discussed. In this review, we examine the use of cluster ion sources and cryogenically compatible sample handling for improved ion yields and to expand the application potential of SIMS. Methodological improvements, including pre-treating the sample to improve ion yields and protocol development for 3-dimensional analyses (i.e. molecular depth profiling), are also included in this discussion. New high performance SIMS instruments showcasing the most advanced instrumental developments, including tandem MS capabilities and continuous ion beam compatibility, are described and the future direction for SIMS in lipid imaging is evaluated.

Controlling the Release of Indomethacin from Glass Solutions Layered with a Rate Controlling Membrane Using Fluid-Bed Processing. Part 1: Surface and Cross-Sectional Chemical Analysis

“…ToF-SIMS has been used as a surface analysis technique in a wide array of research fields; from biological samples (cells, tissues, proteins, lipids…) [13][14][15][16][17] , over material science 18 to pharmaceutical formulations [19][20][21][22][23][24] . ToF-SIMS is based upon the bombardment of a sample surface with a primary ion beam (e.g.…”

Comparing C60+ and (H2O)n+ clusters for mouse brain tissue analysis

“…1A). Ion peaks from a higher mass range (500-1000 Da, where intact lipids species can be found [17] ) are also visible but are low in signal.…”

Ambient Molecular Analysis of Biological Tissue Using Low-Energy, Femtosecond Laser Vaporization and Nanospray Postionization Mass Spectrometry

“…Peaks were labeled and confirmed by comparing the blank-subtracted spectra with the nanospray blank spectra. Features identified from plant sample were assigned by searching in the METLIN database [37] All the assignments were further confirmed by comparing with literature data [12,33,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50].…”

“…These features were identified as phospholipids, i.e., phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and listed in Table S-3 in the Supplementary Material. The peak detected at m/z 760.6 corresponds to PC(34:1) and has been observed previously for the analysis of mouse brain section by MALDI [47][48][49], SIMS [45], and LAESI [12]. The low abundance features in the mass region m/z <700 are likely fragments of lipids or metabolites.…”