In this study we have explored several aspects of regional analyte suppression in mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of a heterogeneous sample, transverse cryosections of mouse brain. Olanzapine was homogeneously coated across the section prior to desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry imaging. We employed the concept of a tissue extinction coefficient (TEC) to assess suppression of an analyte on tissue relative to its intensity in an off tissue region. We expanded the use of TEC, by first segmenting anatomical regions using graph-cuts clustering and calculating a TEC for each cluster. The single ion image of the olanzapine [M + H] ion was seen to vary considerably across the image, with anatomical features such as the white matter and hippocampus visible. While trends in regional ion suppression were conserved across MSI modalities, significant changes in the magnitude of relative regional suppression effects between techniques were seen. Notably the intensity of olanzapine was less suppressed in DESI than for MALDI. In MALDI MSI, significant differences in the concentration dependence of regional TECs were seen, with the TEC of white matter clusters exhibiting a notably stronger correlation with concentration than for clusters associated with gray matter regions. We further employed cluster-specific TECs as regional normalization factors. In comparison to published pixel-by-pixel normalization methods, regional TEC normalization exhibited superior reduction ion suppression artifacts. We also considered the usefulness of a segmentation-based approach to compare spectral information obtained from complementary modalities.

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Described is a quantitative-mass-spectrometry-imaging (qMSI) methodology for the analysis of lactate and glutamate distributions in order to delineate heterogeneity among mouse tumor models used to support drug-discovery efficacy testing. We evaluate and report on preanalysis-stabilization methods aimed at improving the reproducibility and efficiency of quantitative assessments of endogenous molecules in tissues. Stability experiments demonstrate that optimum stabilization protocols consist of frozen-tissue embedding, post-tissue-sectioning desiccation, and storage at -80 °C of tissue sections sealed in vacuum-tight containers. Optimized stabilization protocols are used in combination with qMSI methodology for the absolute quantitation of lactate and glutamate in tumors, incorporating the use of two different stable-isotope-labeled versions of each analyte and spectral-clustering performed on each tissue section using k-means clustering to allow region-specific, pixel-by-pixel quantitation. Region-specific qMSI was used to screen different tumor models and identify a phenotype that has low lactate heterogeneity, which will enable accurate measurements of lactate modulation in future drug-discovery studies. We conclude that using optimized qMSI protocols, it is possible to quantify endogenous metabolites within tumors, and region-specific quantitation can provide valuable insight into tissue heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment.

Liquid extraction surface analysis (LESA) is a surface sampling technique that allows electrospray mass spectrometry analysis of a wide range of analytes directly from biological substrates. Here, we present LESA mass spectrometry coupled with high field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) for the analysis of dried blood spots on filter paper. Incorporation of FAIMS in the workflow enables gas-phase separation of lipid and protein molecular classes, enabling analysis of both haemoglobin and a range of lipids (phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylethanolamine, and sphingomyelin species) from a single extraction sample. The work has implications for multiplexed clinical assays of multiple analytes.

Alterations to the gut microbiome are associated with various neurological diseases, yet evidence of causality and identity of microbiome-derived compounds that mediate gut-brain axis interaction remain elusive. Here, we identify two previously unknown bacterial metabolites 3-methyl-4-(trimethylammonio)butanoate and 4-(trimethylammonio)pentanoate, structural analogs of carnitine that are present in both gut and brain of specific pathogen–free mice but absent in germ-free mice. We demonstrate that these compounds are produced by anaerobic commensal bacteria from the family Lachnospiraceae (Clostridiales) family, colocalize with carnitine in brain white matter, and inhibit carnitine-mediated fatty acid oxidation in a murine cell culture model of central nervous system white matter. This is the first description of direct molecular inter-kingdom exchange between gut prokaryotes and mammalian brain cells, leading to inhibition of brain cell function.

Clustering is widely used in MSI to segment anatomical features and differentiate tissue types, but existing approaches are both CPU and memory-intensive, limiting their application to small, single data sets. We propose a new approach that uses a graph-based algorithm with a two-phase sampling method that overcomes this limitation. We demonstrate the algorithm on a range of sample types and show that it can segment anatomical features that are not identified using commonly employed algorithms in MSI, and we validate our results on synthetic MSI data. We show that the algorithm is robust to fluctuations in data quality by successfully clustering data with a designed-in variance using data acquired with varying laser fluence. Finally, we show that this method is capable of generating accurate segmentations of large MSI data sets acquired on the newest generation of MSI instruments and evaluate these results by comparison with histopathology.

Salmonella Typhimurium causes a self-limiting gastroenteritis that may lead to systemic disease. Bacteria invade the small intestine, crossing the intestinal epithelium from where they are transported to the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) within migrating immune cells. MLNs are an important site at which the innate and adaptive immune responses converge but their architecture and function is severely disrupted during S. Typhimurium infection. To further understand host-pathogen interactions at this site, we used mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) to analyse MLN tissue from a murine model of S. Typhimurium infection. A molecule, identified as palmitoylcarnitine (PalC), was of particular interest due to its high abundance at loci of S. Typhimurium infection and MLN disruption. High levels of PalC localised to sites within the MLNs where B and T cells were absent and where the perimeter of CD169+ sub capsular sinus macrophages was disrupted. MLN cells cultured ex vivo and treated with PalC had reduced CD4+CD25+ T cells and an increased number of B220+CD19+ B cells. The reduction in CD4+CD25+ T cells was likely due to apoptosis driven by increased caspase-3/7 activity. These data indicate that PalC significantly alters the host response in the MLNs, acting as a decisive factor in infection outcome.