Nanomaterial-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization for Mass Spectrometry-Based Biomedical Analysis

Abstract

Nanomaterials have been widely used to assist laser desorption ionization of biomolecules for mass spectrometry analysis. Compared with classical matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization, strategies based on nanomaterial-assisted ionization generate a clean background, which is of great benefit for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of small biomolecules, such as therapeutic and diagnostic molecules. As label-free platforms, they have successfully been used for high-throughput enzyme activity/inhibition monitoring and also for tissue imaging to map in situ the distribution of peptides, metabolites and drugs. In addition to widely used porous silicon nanomaterials, gold nanoparticles can be easily chemically modified by thiol-containing compounds, opening novel interesting perspectives. Such functionalized nanoparticles have been used both as probes to extract target molecules and as matrices to assist laser desorption ionization for developing new enzyme immunoassays or for studying DNA hybridization. More recently, semiconductor nanomaterials or quantum dots acting as photosensitive centers to induce in-source redox reactions for proteomics and to investigate biomolecule oxidation for metabolomics have been shown to offer new analytical strategies.

Application of flowerlike MgO for highly sensitive determination of lead via matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

“…Nanomaterials have been applied in LDI‐MS‐based analysis to provide a promising approach to achieve high sensitivity and selectivity towards specific analytes due to their unique physical and chemical properties . They can largely absorb laser energy and transfer the energy to target molecules to facilitate their desorption and ionization . Nanomaterials can also be used to modify matrices to detect organic and inorganic compounds .…”

Diamond Nanowires: A Novel Platform for Electrochemistry and Matrix-Free Mass Spectrometry

“…The basic principle of SALDI-MS analysis is schematically outlined in Figure 11 A. Using inorganic species as the assisting material in MALDI is an alternative approach to avoid the problems arising in conventional MALDI analysis using organic compounds as matrix systems [ 56 ]. Nanostructured diamond-like carbon (DLC) coated targets were proposed by Bonn and co-workers as versatile platform for the analysis of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, peptides and other metabolites using laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry [ 57 ].…”

Biomarker Characterization by MALDI–TOF/MS

“…Many functionalized materials with nanostructures have been developed as probes to enrich biomolecules of interest in biological fluids [257]. Mesoporous silica particles were used to selectively bind and enrich LMW proteins by means of nanosized porous channels in the particles.…”

“…Several nanomaterials have also been used as matrices in MALDI-TOF/MS analysis due to their low heat conductivities and light-absorbing capabilities. A clean mass spectra background at low mass ranges is obtained which is useful for detection of small biomolecules [257].…”