Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, MolSys Research Unit, Chemistry Department, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Mass Spectrom Rev. 2022 May;41(3):373-420. doi: 10.1002/mas.21670. Epub 2020 Nov 10.
In the last decades, surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) has attracted increasing interest due to its unique capabilities, achievable through the nanostructured substrates used to promote the analyte desorption/ionization. While the most widely recognized asset of SALDI-MS is the untargeted analysis of small molecules, this technique also offers the possibility of targeted approaches. In particular, the implementation of SALDI-MS imaging (SALDI-MSI), which is the focus of this review, opens up new opportunities. After a brief discussion of the nomenclature and the fundamental mechanisms associated with this technique, which are still highly controversial, the analytical strategies to perform SALDI-MSI are extensively discussed. Emphasis is placed on the sample preparation but also on the selection of the nanosubstrate (in terms of chemical composition and morphology) as well as its functionalization possibilities for the selective analysis of specific compounds in targeted approaches. Subsequently, some selected applications of SALDI-MSI in various fields (i.e., biomedical, biological, environmental, and forensic) are presented. The strengths and the remaining limitations of SALDI-MSI are finally summarized in the conclusion and some perspectives of this technique, which has a bright future, are proposed in this section.
在过去的几十年中，由于其独特的功能，表面辅助激光解吸/电离质谱（SALDI-MS）引起了越来越多的关注，这些功能是通过用于促进分析物解吸/电离的纳米结构衬底实现的。虽然 SALDI-MS 最广为人知的资产是对小分子的非靶向分析，但该技术也提供了靶向方法的可能性。特别是 SALDI-MS 成像（SALDI-MSI）的实施，这是本综述的重点，开辟了新的机会。在简要讨论了该技术的命名法和基本机制之后（这些机制仍存在很大争议），广泛讨论了进行 SALDI-MSI 的分析策略。重点放在样品制备上，但也放在纳米基底（在化学成分和形态方面）的选择以及其功能化可能性上，以便在靶向方法中选择性分析特定化合物。随后，介绍了 SALDI-MSI 在各个领域（即生物医学、生物学、环境和法医学）中的一些选定应用。最后，在结论中总结了 SALDI-MSI 的优缺点，并在本节中提出了该技术的一些展望，该技术具有光明的未来。
