MALDI sample preparation methods: A mini review

Method optimization for benchtop mass spectrometry imaging of lipids in Eisenia hortensis

“…SA required a higher laser power regardless of the amount of matrix applied to the slide (Figure 2), indicating that the matrix is ill-suited for lipids (Leopold et al, 2023). Other studies suggest that SA would be more suitable for ionization of higher mass analytes such as proteins (Patil et al, 2024). Moreover, laser power and ionization are positively related regardless of matrix choice; however, there is no way to confidently ensure that only the desired analytes are being ionized.…”

“…There are hundreds of matrices to choose from (Calvano et al, 2018;Leopold et al, 2018), and in selecting one, the analytes of interest, the tissue to which matrix is being applied, and the spatial resolution of the instrument must be considered. Although some matrices interact favorably with only a few classes compounds (e.g., 2,4,6trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP) for nucleic acid and peptide/ protein analysis (Patil et al, 2024), others span a wide range of assorted compounds (e.g., trans-2-[3-(4-tert-Butylphenyl)-2methyl-2-propenylidene]malononitrile (DCTB) for analysis of oligomers, polymers, dendrimers, and small molecules (Ulmer et al, 2000;Brown et al, 2001)). However, the road to finding a suitable matrix for a given application is often considered a "trialand-error" process because matrices do not always interact with analytes in the expected manner (Leopold et al, 2018).…”