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Mapping the chemistry of hair strands by mass spectrometry imaging-a review

Philipsen, Mai H. LU ; Haxen, Emma R. LU ; Manaprasertsak, Auraya LU ; Malmberg, Per and Hammarlund, Emma U. LU (2021) In Molecules 26(24).
Abstract

Hair can record chemical information reflecting our living conditions, and, therefore, strands of hair have become a potent analytical target within the biological and forensic sciences. While early efforts focused on analyzing complete hair strands in bulk, high spatial resolution mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has recently come to the forefront of chemical hair-strand analysis. MSI techniques offer a localized analysis, requiring fewer de-contamination procedures per default and making it possible to map the distribution of analytes on and within individual hair strands. Applying the techniques to hair samples has proven particularly useful in investigations quantifying the exposure to, and uptake of, toxins or drugs. Overall, MSI,... (More)

Hair can record chemical information reflecting our living conditions, and, therefore, strands of hair have become a potent analytical target within the biological and forensic sciences. While early efforts focused on analyzing complete hair strands in bulk, high spatial resolution mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has recently come to the forefront of chemical hair-strand analysis. MSI techniques offer a localized analysis, requiring fewer de-contamination procedures per default and making it possible to map the distribution of analytes on and within individual hair strands. Applying the techniques to hair samples has proven particularly useful in investigations quantifying the exposure to, and uptake of, toxins or drugs. Overall, MSI, combined with optimized sample preparation protocols, has improved precision and accuracy for identifying several elemental and molecular species in single strands of hair. Here, we review different sample preparation protocols and use cases with a view to make the methodology more accessible to researchers outside of the field of forensic science. We conclude that-although some challenges remain, including contamination issues and matrix effects-MSI offers unique opportunities for obtaining highly resolved spatial information of several compounds simultaneously across hair surfaces.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Hair analysis, Mass spectrometry imaging, Sample preparation
in
Molecules
volume
26
issue
24
article number
7522
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • pmid:34946604
  • scopus:85122196796
ISSN
1420-3049
DOI
10.3390/molecules26247522
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e7eb46c7-8197-4446-9a57-ddda8010dc00
date added to LUP
2022-02-04 15:26:05
date last changed
2024-06-19 16:59:45
@article{e7eb46c7-8197-4446-9a57-ddda8010dc00,
  abstract     = {{<p>Hair can record chemical information reflecting our living conditions, and, therefore, strands of hair have become a potent analytical target within the biological and forensic sciences. While early efforts focused on analyzing complete hair strands in bulk, high spatial resolution mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has recently come to the forefront of chemical hair-strand analysis. MSI techniques offer a localized analysis, requiring fewer de-contamination procedures per default and making it possible to map the distribution of analytes on and within individual hair strands. Applying the techniques to hair samples has proven particularly useful in investigations quantifying the exposure to, and uptake of, toxins or drugs. Overall, MSI, combined with optimized sample preparation protocols, has improved precision and accuracy for identifying several elemental and molecular species in single strands of hair. Here, we review different sample preparation protocols and use cases with a view to make the methodology more accessible to researchers outside of the field of forensic science. We conclude that-although some challenges remain, including contamination issues and matrix effects-MSI offers unique opportunities for obtaining highly resolved spatial information of several compounds simultaneously across hair surfaces.</p>}},
  author       = {{Philipsen, Mai H. and Haxen, Emma R. and Manaprasertsak, Auraya and Malmberg, Per and Hammarlund, Emma U.}},
  issn         = {{1420-3049}},
  keywords     = {{Hair analysis; Mass spectrometry imaging; Sample preparation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{12}},
  number       = {{24}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Molecules}},
  title        = {{Mapping the chemistry of hair strands by mass spectrometry imaging-a review}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules26247522}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/molecules26247522}},
  volume       = {{26}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}