Lipid imaging within the normal rat kidney using silver nanoparticles by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

The well-characterized cellular and structural components of the kidney show distinct regional compositions and distribution of lipids. In order to more fully analyze the renal lipidome we developed a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry approach for imaging that may be used to pinpoint sites of changes from normal in pathological conditions. This was accomplished by implanting sagittal cryostat rat kidney sections with a stable, quantifiable and reproducible uniform layer of silver using a magnetron sputtering source to form silver nanoparticles. Thirty-eight lipid species including seven ceramides, eight diacylglycerols, 22 triacylglycerols, and cholesterol were detected and imaged in positive ion mode. Thirty-six lipid species consisting of seven sphingomyelins, 10 phosphatidylethanolamines, one phosphatidylglycerol, seven phosphatidylinositols, and 11 sulfatides were imaged in negative ion mode for a total of seventy-four high-resolution lipidome maps of the normal kidney. Thus, our approach is a powerful tool not only for studying structural changes in animal models of disease, but also for diagnosing and tracking stages of disease in human kidney tissue biopsies.