Spatial metabolomics and its application in the liver

Abstract

Hepatocytes work in highly structured, repetitive hepatic lobules. Blood flow across the radial axis of the lobule generates oxygen, nutrient, and hormone gradients, which result in zoned spatial variability and functional diversity. This large heterogeneity suggests that hepatocytes in different lobule zones may have distinct gene expression profiles, metabolic features, regenerative capacity, and susceptibility to damage. Here, we describe the principles of liver zonation, introduce metabolomic approaches to study the spatial heterogeneity of the liver, and highlight the possibility of exploring the spatial metabolic profile, leading to a deeper understanding of the tissue metabolic organization. Spatial metabolomics can also reveal intercellular heterogeneity and its contribution to liver disease. These approaches facilitate the global characterization of liver metabolic function with high spatial resolution along physiological and pathological time scales. This review summarizes the state of the art for spatially resolved metabolomic analysis and the challenges that hinder the achievement of metabolome coverage at the single-cell level. We also discuss several major contributions to the understanding of liver spatial

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Metabolomics in drug research and development: The recent advances in technologies and applications

“…DESI is an ambient ionization technique where the electronically charged solvent is sprayed onto the sample surface and analysts are charged and desorbed from the sample surface and enter the mass analyzer. The resolution of DESI is typically 50–200 μm 57 ( Fig. 2 A).…”

Mass Spectrometry Imaging: An Emerging Technology in Medical Parasitology

“…A crucial aspect in this process is visualizing the spatial distribution of multiple metabolites in their original state, which necessitates an untargeted, high-sensitivity, wide-coverage, and chemically specific imaging method. 35,36 Consequently, the application of spatial metabolomics technology in the field of medical parasitology has the potential to enhance our understanding of the interactions between parasites and hosts, as well as advance the prevention and control of parasitic diseases, which holds great medical and social significance. Nevertheless, unlike bacteria and fungi, there is currently no commercially available library for the identification of parasites using MSI techniques, nor is there a standardized protocol for measuring parasitic elements.…”

“…Furthermore, the importance of accurate diagnosis and effective management of parasitic diseases cannot be overstated, considering the threat that these parasites pose to the health of both humans and animals. A crucial aspect in this process is visualizing the spatial distribution of multiple metabolites in their original state, which necessitates an untargeted, high-sensitivity, wide-coverage, and chemically specific imaging method. , Consequently, the application of spatial metabolomics technology in the field of medical parasitology has the potential to enhance our understanding of the interactions between parasites and hosts, as well as advance the prevention and control of parasitic diseases, which holds great medical and social significance.…”