Analysis of the biodistribution of natural products in mice by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Abstract

Natural products originating from plants have various beneficial pharmacological effects, such as anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities, while being nontoxic. Therefore, tremendous efforts have been invested in understanding their bioactivities in the body to facilitate therapeutic target validation. However, such research is still challenging for certain natural products, such as flavonoids, which are rapidly metabolized in and eliminated from the human body. To investigate the bioactivities of such products, particularly in certain tissues, it is necessary to understand their biodistribution in vivo. In this respect, reliable analytical methods with simple and efficient procedures for the in vivo evaluation of natural small molecules are urgently required. In particular, mass spectrometry (MS) can be effectively used to analyze small molecules after tissue extraction, as MS has various advantages including accuracy, simplicity, and high sensitivity. Herein, we report the biodistribution of a natural small molecule by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). After intravenously injecting gomisin H into a mouse as a model natural product, it was extracted from each organ and then analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The analysis showed that gomisin H accumulated mainly in the liver and relatively large amounts of the product existed in the kidney and brain compared to those in other tissues.

Optimized MALDI‐TOF Mass Analysis Conditions for Natural Small Molecules

“…In this regard, inorganic nanomaterials have been actively used recently to avoid this hurdle . In this report, we describe the optimized analysis condition for the natural small molecules, the well‐known components of S. chinensis , C. wilfordii , A. gigas and C. aromatica with MALDI‐TOF MS by assessing various organic and inorganic matrices including 2′,4′,6′‐trihydroxyacetophenone monohydrate (THAP), 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), α‐cyano‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and graphene oxide (GO) …”

Recent applications of high resolution mass spectrometry for the characterization of plant natural products

“…The MS and MS/MS fragmentation patterns serve as fingerprints of meliatoxins and are useful for their identification in other natural products.MALDI-TOF has also been used to establish tissue distribution of metabolites. In this sense,Hwang et al investigated the biodistribution of gomisin H, a natural product derived fromSchisandra chinensis, in mouse organs using MALDI-TOF after intravenous injection of the compound[71]. Each mouse isolated organ (brain, heart, lung, kidney, spleen, liver, and pancreas) was extracted with ethyl acetate and the extract was analyzed by MALDI-TOF in the presence of gomisin J (used as internal standard).…”