Metabolic Imaging through Continuous In Situ Micro-extractions of Tissue Samples via Flowprobe Mass Spectrometry

Liquid extraction based mass spectrometric analysis has emerged in recent years as a method to allow in situ characterizations of surfaces in order to generate distributions of drugs and metabolites. As an atmospheric pressure surface sampling workflow, it benefits from the obviated need for extensive sample preparation as would be required in other chemical imaging methods. The continuous in situ microextraction provided by the flowprobe system also enables rapid, high sensitivity analysis with few limitations to sample type and versatile utility as regards experimental operation. Applying flowprobe analysis to liver, brain, and lung tissue infected with tuberculosis collected as part of a workflow resulted in effective characterization of biopharmaceuticals and other compounds of interest.