Atmospheric-pressure infrared laser-ablation plasma-postionization mass spectrometry imaging of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) and fresh-frozen tissue sections with no sample preparation

Steven, R. T., Niehaus, M., Taylor, A. J., Nasif, A., Elia, E., Goodwin, R. J.A., Takats, Z. and Bunch, J. (2022) Atmospheric-pressure infrared laser-ablation plasma-postionization mass spectrometry imaging of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) and fresh-frozen tissue sections with no sample preparation. Analytical Chemistry, 94(28), pp. 9970-9974. (doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00690) (PMID:35798333) (PMCID:PMC9310026)

Abstract

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) encompasses a powerful suit of techniques which provide spatially resolved atomic and molecular information from almost any sample type. MSI is now widely used in preclinical research to provide insight into metabolic phenotypes of disease. Typically, fresh-frozen tissue preparations are considered optimal for biological MSI and other traditional preservation methods such as formalin fixation, alone or with paraffin embedding (FFPE), are considered less optimal or even incompatible. Due to the prevalence of FFPE tissue storage, particularly for rare and therefore high-value tissue samples, there is substantial motivation for optimizing MSI methods for analysis of FFPE tissue. Here, we present a novel modality, atmospheric-pressure infrared laser-ablation plasma postionization (AP-IR-LA-PPI), with the first proof-of-concept examples of MSI for FFPE and fresh-frozen tissues, with no post-sectioning sample preparation. We present ion images from FFPE and fresh tissues in positive and negative ion modes. Molecular annotations (via the Metaspace annotation engine) and on-tissue MS/MS provide additional confidence that the detected ions arise from a broad range of metabolite and lipid classes from both FFPE and fresh-frozen tissues.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was funded by Cancer Research UK Rosetta Grand Challenge (A24034) and the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) through the UK’s National Measurement System programs.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Goodwin, Dr Richard
• Authors: Steven, R. T., Niehaus, M., Taylor, A. J., Nasif, A., Elia, E., Goodwin, R. J.A., Takats, Z., and Bunch, J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Journal Name: Analytical Chemistry
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• ISSN: 0003-2700
• ISSN (Online): 1520-6882
• Published Online: 07 July 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Analytical Chemistry 94(28): 9970-9974
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License