Title:Mass Spectrometry Imaging in Nanomedicine: Unraveling the Potential of MSI for the Detection of Nanoparticles in Neuroscience
VOLUME: 23 ISSUE: 13
Author(s):Florian P.Y. Barre, Ron M.A. Heeren and Nina Ogrinc Potocnik*
Affiliation:The Maastricht MultiModal Molecular Imaging Institute, M4I, Department of Imaging Mass Spectrometry, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Maastricht MultiModal Molecular Imaging Institute, M4I, Department of Imaging Mass Spectrometry, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Maastricht MultiModal Molecular Imaging Institute, Maastricht University, Universitetitssingel 50, 6229 HX Maastricht
Keywords:Mass spectrometry imaging, nanomedicine, brain, nanoparticles, mass spectrometers, neurological disorders.
Abstract:Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) can uniquely detect thousands of compounds allowing both their
identification and localization within biological tissue samples. MSI is an interdisciplinary science that crosses
the borders of physics, chemistry and biology, and enables local molecular analysis at a broad range of length
scales: From the subcellular level to whole body tissue sections. The spatial resolution of some mass spectrometers
now allows nano-scale research, crucial for studies in nanomedicine. Recent developments in MSI have enabled
the optimization and localization of drug delivery with nanoparticles within the body and in specific organs
such as kidney, liver and brain. Combining MSI with nanomedicine has vast potential, specifically in the treatment
of neurological disorders, where effective drug delivery has been hampered by the blood-brain barrier. This
review provides an introduction to MSI and its different technologies, with the application of MSI to nanomedicine
and the different possibilities that MSI offers to study molecular signals in the brain. Finally, we provide an
outlook for the future and exciting potential of MSI in nanoparticle-related research.
