title: Acid-base-driven matrix-assisted mass spectrometry for targeted metabolomics.
abstract: The ability to charge huge biomolecules without breaking them apart has made matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry an indispensable tool for biomolecular analysis. Conventional, empirically selected matrices produce abundant matrix ion clusters in the low-mass region (<500 Da), hampering the application of MALDI-MS to metabolomics. An ionization mode of MAILD, a rational protocol for matrix selection based on Brønsted-Lowry acid-base theory and its application to metabolomics, biological screening/profiling/imaging, and clinical diagnostics is illustrated. Numerous metabolites, covering important metabolic pathways (Krebs' cycle, fatty acid and glucosinolate biosynthesis), were detected in extracts, biofluids, and/or in biological tissues (Arabidopsis thaliana, Drosophila melanogaster, Acyrthosiphon pisum, and human blood). This approach moves matrix selection from "black art" to rational design and sets a paradigm for small-molecule analysis via MALDI-MS.
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Rohit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shroff
authors.forename: Lubomír
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rulísek
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Doubsky
authors.forename: Ales
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Svatos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*