Organic chemistry

Biomolecule

Capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry

Analytical Chemistry (journal)

MALDI imaging

Adsorption

Desorption electrospray ionization

Mass spectrometry

Desorption

Mass spectrometry imaging

Chemistry

Ionization

Chemical ionization

Electrospray ionization

Chromatography

Biochemistry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization

Frontiers in Chemistry

Compared with conventional optical microscopy techniques, mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) or imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is a powerful, label-free analytical technique, which can sensitively and simultaneously detect, quantify, and map hundreds of biomolecules, such as peptides, proteins, lipid, and other organic compounds in cells and tissues. So far, although several soft ionization techniques, such as desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) have been used for imaging biomolecules, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) is still the most widespread MSI scanning method. Here, we aim to provide a comprehensive review of MALDI-MSI with an emphasis on its advances of the instrumentation, methods, application, and future directions in single cell and biological tissues.

Advances in MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging Single Cell and Tissues