Monitoring lipid alterations in heads in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis model with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Lipid alterations in the brain are well-documented in disease and aging, but our understanding of their pathogenic implications remains incomplete. Recent technological advances in assessing lipid profiles have enabled us to intricately examine the spatiotemporal variations in lipid compositions within the complex brain characterized by diverse cell types and intricate neural networks. In this study, we coupled time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) model, for the first time, to elucidate changes in the lipid landscape and investigate their potential role in the disease process, serving as a methodological and analytical complement to our prior approach that utilized matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

ZIKV Inhibitors Based on Pyrazolo[3,4-]pyridazine-7-one Core: Rational Design, Evaluation, and Theoretical Studies.

The Zika virus (ZIKV) is believed to cause birth defects, and no anti-ZIKV drugs have been approved by medical organizations to date. Starting from antimicrobial lead compounds with a pyrazolo[3,4-]pyridazine-7-one scaffold, we synthesized 16 derivatives and screened their ability to interfere with ZIKV infection utilizing a cell-based phenotypic assay. Of these, five compounds showed significant inhibition of ZIKV with a selective index value greater than 4.

Simultaneous Multiplexed Imaging of Biomolecules in Transgenic Mouse Brain Tissues Using Mass Spectrometry Imaging: A Multi-omic Approach.

The importance of multi-omic-based approaches to better understand diverse pathological mechanisms including neurodegenerative diseases has emerged. Spatial information can be of great help in understanding how biomolecules interact pathologically and in elucidating target biomarkers for developing therapeutics. While various analytical methods have been attempted for imaging-based biomolecule analysis, a multi-omic approach to imaging remains challenging due to the different characteristics of biomolecules.

Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Phospholipid Changes in a Model of Early Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disease caused by motor neuron damage in the central nervous system, and it is difficult to diagnose early. is widely used to investigate disease mechanisms and discover biomarkers because it is easy to induce disease in through genetic engineering. We performed matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) to investigate changes in phospholipid distribution in the brain tissue of an ALS-induced model.

Comparison between thaw-mounting and use of conductive tape for sample preparation in ToF-SIMS imaging of lipids in Drosophila microRNA-14 model.

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) imaging elucidates molecular distributions in tissue sections, providing useful information about the metabolic pathways linked to diseases. However, delocalization of the analytes and inadequate tissue adherence during sample preparation are among some of the unfortunate phenomena associated with this technique due to their role in the reduction of the quality, reliability, and spatial resolution of the ToF-SIMS images. For these reasons, ToF-SIMS imaging requires a more rigorous sample preparation method in order to preserve the natural state of the tissues.