Maastricht MultiModal Molecular Imaging Institute (M4i), Division of Imaging Mass Spectrometry, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
MERLN Institute for Technology-inspired Regenerative Medicine, Department of Cell Biology-Inspired Tissue Engineering (cBITE), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Analyst. 2024 Sep 9;149(18):4553-4582. doi: 10.1039/d4an00644e.
Plant health, which affects the nutritional quality and safety of derivative food products, is influenced by symbiotic interactions with microorganisms. These interactions influence the local molecular profile at the tissue level. Therefore, studying the distribution of molecules within plants, microbes, and plant-based food is crucial to assess plant health, ensure the safety and quality of the agricultural products that become part of our food supply, and plan agricultural management practices. Within this framework, the molecular distribution within plant-based samples can be visualized with mass spectrometry imaging (MSI). This review describes key MSI methodologies, highlighting the role they play in unraveling the localization of metabolites, lipids, proteins, pigments, and elemental components across plants, microbes, and food products. Furthermore, investigations that involve multimodal molecular imaging approaches combining MSI with other imaging techniques are described. The advantages and limitations of the different MSI techniques that influence their applicability in diverse agro-food studies are described to enable informed choices for tailored analyses. For example, some MSI technologies involve meticulous sample preparation while others compromise spatial resolution to gain throughput. Key parameters such as sensitivity, ionization bias and fragmentation, reference database and compound class specificity are described and discussed in this review. With the ongoing refinements in instrumentation, data analysis, and integration of complementary techniques, MSI deepens our insight into the molecular biology of the agricultural ecosystem. This in turn empowers the quest for sustainable and productive agricultural practices.
植物健康会影响衍生食品的营养质量和安全性，而其受到与微生物共生相互作用的影响。这些相互作用会影响组织水平的局部分子特征。因此，研究植物、微生物和植物源性食品内分子的分布情况，对于评估植物健康、确保农产品的安全和质量（这些农产品会成为我们食物供应的一部分）以及规划农业管理实践至关重要。在这个框架内，可利用质谱成像（MSI）对植物源性样本内的分子分布情况进行可视化处理。本综述介绍了关键的 MSI 方法，重点阐述了这些方法在揭示代谢物、脂质、蛋白质、色素和元素成分在植物、微生物和食品中的定位方面所发挥的作用。此外，还描述了涉及多模态分子成像方法的研究，即结合 MSI 与其他成像技术的方法。文中还描述并讨论了不同 MSI 技术的优缺点，这些优缺点会影响其在不同农业食品研究中的适用性，以便为有针对性的分析做出明智的选择。例如，一些 MSI 技术需要进行细致的样品制备，而另一些技术则需要在空间分辨率上做出妥协以提高通量。文中还描述并讨论了一些关键参数，如灵敏度、离子化偏差和碎片化、参考数据库和化合物类别特异性等。随着仪器设备、数据分析和互补技术的不断改进，MSI 使我们对农业生态系统的分子生物学有了更深入的了解。这反过来又有助于寻求可持续和富有成效的农业实践。
