In this work, we demonstrate a new approach for assessing the stability and reproducibility of mass spectra obtained via ambient ionization methods. This method is suitable for both comparing experiments during which only one mass spectrum is measured and for evaluating the internal homogeneity of mass spectra collected over a period of time. The approach uses Pearson’s r coefficient and the cosine measure to compare the spectra. It is based on the visualization of dissimilarities between measurements, thus leading to the analysis of dissimilarity patterns. The cosine measure and correlations are compared to obtain better metrics for spectra homogeneity. The method filters out unreliable scans to prevent the analyzed sample from being wrongly characterized. The applicability of the method is demonstrated on a set of brain tumor samples. The developed method could be employed in neurosurgical applications, where mass spectrometry is used to monitor the intraoperative tumor border.
The development of perspective diagnostic techniques in medicine requires efficient high-throughput biological sample analysis methods. Here, we present an inline cartridge extraction that facilitates the screening rate of mass spectrometry shotgun lipidomic analysis of tissue samples. We illustrate the method by its application to tumor tissue identification in neurosurgery. In perspective, this high-performance method provides new possibilities for the investigation of cancer pathogenesis and metabolic disorders.
Cells metabolism alteration is the new hallmark of cancer, as well as an important method for
carcinogenesis investigation. It is well known that the malignant cells switch to aerobic glycolysis pathway
occurring also in healthy proliferating cells. Recently, it was shown that in malignant cells de novo
synthesis of the intracellular fatty acid replaces dietary fatty acids which change the lipid composition of
cancer cells noticeably. These alterations in energy metabolism and structural lipid production explain
the high proliferation rate of malignant tissues. However, metabolic reprogramming affects not only
lipid metabolism but many of the metabolic pathways in the cell. 2-hydroxyglutarate was considered as
cancer cell biomarker and its presence is associated with oxidative stress influencing the mitochondria
functions. Among the variety of metabolite detection methods, mass spectrometry stands out as the most
effective method for simultaneous identification and quantification of the metabolites. As the metabolic
reprogramming is tightly connected with epigenetics and signaling modifications, the evaluation of metabolite
alterations in cells is a promising approach to investigate the carcinogenesis which is necessary
for improving current diagnostic capabilities and therapeutic capabilities. In this paper, we overview
recent studies on metabolic alteration and oncometabolites, especially concerning brain cancer and mass
spectrometry approaches which are now in use for the investigation of the metabolic pathway.
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