Quantitative profiling of tissue drug distribution by MS imaging

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology and analytical chemistry
• Biomedical imaging techniques

Background:

• Quantitative measurement of drug distribution is crucial for drug development.
• Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has faced challenges in accurate quantitation compared to autoradiography.
• Overcoming these quantitative limitations is key to broader MSI adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight recent advancements in quantitative mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) for drug distribution.
• To discuss the progress made in overcoming the quantitative disadvantages of MSI.
• To emphasize the growing utility of MSI in drug development.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent developments in quantitative mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) methodologies.
• Analysis of studies employing quantitative MSI for drug and metabolite distribution measurements.
• Comparison of quantitative MSI with traditional techniques like autoradiography.

Main Results:

• Significant progress has been achieved in quantitative MSI, addressing previous limitations.
• MSI is increasingly used for accurate drug and metabolite distribution studies.
• Quantitative capabilities of MSI are now comparable to established methods.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative limitations in MSI are being overcome, enhancing its applicability.
• MSI provides critical insights into tissue-target validation and drug delivery.
• Increased use of quantitative MSI is expected to accelerate drug development processes.