Spatial Metabolomics with the advancement of Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) techniques has been increasingly employed in omics research for detecting metabolites, lipids, and small molecules in tissue.¹ Unlike bulk metabolomics that detects metabolites in homogenized samples, spatial metabolomics provides insights to tissue heterogeneity, metabolic microenvironments, and localized biochemical processes while preserving anatomical context.² Among MSI based spatial metabolomics methods, Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging (DESI-MSI) has emerged as a powerful tool as it is an ambient ionization technique with minimal to no sample preparation. The common challenge of MSI techniques is the limitation to differentiate isobars and isomers. To address this limitation, Ion Mobility (IM) separations are often used to improve structural resolution and resolve isomers and isobars confidently. In a recent study, spatial metabolomics was conducted in rat brain tissues following traumatic brain injury (TBI) utilizing DESI-cyclic IM-MSI. Cyclic IM (cIM) demonstrated the capability to separate isobaric lipids, and enhanced separations by increasing the number of cIM passes.³

 

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