质谱成像技术及其在药用植物研究中的应用

质谱成像(mass spectrometry imaging,MSI)作为一种重要的分子成像技术,通过专用成像分析软件将质谱仪记录的特定区域离子化分子的离子强度、质荷比和坐标等信息转换为像素点模型,重新构造出被测化合物的空间离子分布图像,具有样品前处理简单、灵敏度高、无需标记等优势。近年来,MSI技术在医学、药学、植物学等领域得到广泛应用。其中,MSI技术在药用植物研究中的应用为明确药理机制、提高疗效、跟踪毒性成分分布等提供了新的技术思路,为药用植物的深度开发利用做了重要贡献。该文综述了近几年来MSI技术在药用植物鉴定、代谢物分布、有效成分合成途径、药用安全性及植物防御等方面的研究成果,讨论了不同研究方法的优缺点。最后,简要指出了MSI技术在药用植物研究中的优点和实际应用时存在的障碍,并对MSI技术和药用植物研究未来发展前景进行了展望。

Mass spectrometry imaging technology and its application in medicinal plants research

As an important molecular imaging technology, mass spectrometry imaging(MSI) converts the ionic strength, mass-charge ratio and coordinates of ionized molecules in specific areas recorded by mass spectrometer into a pixel model by special imaging analysis software, and reconstructs the spatial ion distribution image of the compounds tested. It has the advantages of simple sample preparation, high sensitivity and no need for labeling. In recent years, MSI technology has been widely used in medicine, pharmacy, botany and other fields. Among them, the application of MSI technology in the research of medicinal plants provides a new technical idea for clarifying the pharmacological mechanism, improving the curative effect, tracking the distribution of toxic components, and makes an important contribution to the further development and utilization of medicinal plants. This review summarizes the research results of MSI technology in recent years for identification of medicinal plants, distribution of metabolites, pathway of active ingredient synthesis, medicinal safety and plant defense, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different research methods. Finally, the advantages and practical obstacles of MSI technology in medicinal plant research are briefly pointed out, and the prospects for the future development of MSI technology and medicinal plant research are also prospected.