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Updated: Apr 17, 2026

Imaging of Biological Tissues by Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Published on: July 12, 2013
Reactive DESI-MS imaging of biological tissues with dicationic ion-pairing compounds
Dragos Lostun1, Consuelo J Perez1, Peter Licence2
1†Department of Chemistry, Centre for Research in Mass Spectrometry, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada.
Abstract:
This work illustrates reactive desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) with a stable dication on biological tissues. Rat brain and zebra fish tissues were investigated with reactive DESI-MS in which the dictation forms a stable bond with biological tissue fatty acids and lipids. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was used to characterize the dication (DC9) and to identify linked lipid-dication compounds formed. The fragment m/z 85 common to both DC9 fragmentation and DC9-lipid fragmentation was used to confirm that DC9 is indeed bonded with the lipids. Lipid signals in the range of m/z 250-350 and phosphoethanolamines (PE) m/z 700-800 observed in negative ion mode were also detected in positive ion mode with reactive DESI-MS with enhanced signal intensity. Reactive DESI-MS imaging in positive ion mode of rat brain and zebra fish tissues allowed enhanced detection of compounds commonly observed in the negative ion mode.
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