Mass Spectrometry Imaging for Spatial Toxicology Research

Area of Science:

• Toxicology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Understanding xenobiotic distribution, metabolism, and toxicity in situ is crucial for drug development and environmental risk assessment.
• Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful tool for label-free, multiplexed analysis of xenobiotics and endogenous molecules with spatial resolution.
• Current applications of MSI in toxicology cover distribution, metabolism, quantification, toxicity mechanisms, and biomarker discovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the applications of mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) in toxicology.
• To identify key challenges hindering the full utilization of MSI in toxicology research and regulatory practices.
• To provide perspectives on future directions for MSI in spatial toxicology.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on MSI applications in toxicology.
• Identification and discussion of challenges in xenobiotic detection, linking molecular data to toxicity, and standardization of workflows.
• Perspective on future research directions and MSI's potential.

Main Results:

• MSI enables spatially resolved analysis of xenobiotics, their metabolites, and endogenous molecules.
• Key challenges include increasing detection coverage, sensitivity, and specificity.
• Linking spatial molecular data to toxicity outcomes and standardizing MSI workflows are critical for regulatory use.

Conclusions:

• MSI is a promising tool for spatial toxicology, offering molecular-level insights into absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity.
• Addressing current challenges is essential for advancing MSI in fundamental research and regulatory applications.
• Standardization and improved analytical capabilities will enhance MSI's role in drug development and environmental risk assessment.