3º Encontro Brasileiro sobre Especiação Química
27 – 30 de novembro de 2012
Bento Gonçalves - RS
Synergy of Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Metallomics
New Challenges for Life Sciences
J. Sabine Becker
s.becker@fz-juelich.de.
Central Division of Analytical Chemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
The application of mass spectrometry with soft ionization techniques (ESI, electrospray
ionization, and MALDI, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization) in the life sciences for the
detection and identification of biomolecules is already well established. The application of
elemental mass spectrometry using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass
spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for the determination of metals, metalloids and non-metals in
biomolecules is rather new and there is some hesitation in accepting this analytical method,
although it offers many advantages. Elemental and biomolecular mass spectrometric
methods are highly complementary. LA-ICP-MS, as a solid state mass spectrometric
technique, allows the direct determination of trace elements in biological and environmental
samples and is applied for microlocal and imaging technique of elements with spatial
resolution in the µm range.
Based on the established routine BrainMet technique (BrainMet – Bioimaging of Metals in
Brain and Metallomics) [1-6] in quantitative elemental imaging using LA-ICP-MS with a
spatial resolution between 200 to  10 µm, we developed the combination of a laser
microdissection apparatus to ICP-MS (LMD-ICP-MSI) to imaging of metals at higher spatial
resolution (10 to < 1 µm) and develop a method combining elemental imaging by LA/LMDICP-MSI with molecular imaging by MALDI-MS.
On the basis of selected examples, it will be shown that only the combination of different
elemental and biomolecular mass spectrometric techniques can solve analytical problems in
the life sciences in a synergistic way. Future developments and trends will be discussed
concerning instrumental developments of new mass spectrometric techniques providing
improvement of spatial resolution and high sensitivity with lower detection limits for many
elements measured quasi-simultaneously that new analytical information about biological
systems can be drawn.
[1] J. S. Becker, Inorganic Mass Spectrometry, Principles and Applications, 2007, Wiley & Sons.
[2] J.S. Becker, A. Matusch, J. Su. Becker, et al., Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 2011, 307, 3-15.
[3] A. Matusch, J.A, McLean, J.S. Becker et al. Anal. Chem. 2012, 84, 3170-3178.
[4] J.S. Becker, M. Zoriy, A. Matusch, J.Su. Becker, Mass Spectrom. Rev., 2010, 29, 156-175.
[5] J.S. Becker, N. Jakubowski, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2009, 38, 1969-1983.
[6] J.Su. Becker, R. Lobinski, J.S. Becker, Metallomics, 2009, 1, 312-316.