Open AccessMonitoring changes of docosahexaenoic acid-containing lipids during the recovery process of traumatic brain injury in rat using mass spectrometry imaging
Author(s) -
Shuai Guo,
Dan Zhou,
Mo Zhang,
Tiejun Li,
Yujie Liu,
Yuanhui Xu,
Tianjing Chen,
Zhili Li
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/s41598-017-05446-2
Subject(s) - docosahexaenoic acid , traumatic brain injury , phosphatidylethanolamine , mass spectrometry imaging , chemistry , medicine , mass spectrometry , phosphatidylcholine , endocrinology , chromatography , biochemistry , fatty acid , polyunsaturated fatty acid , phospholipid , psychiatry , membrane
Brain lipid homoeostasis is critical during recovery process after traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this study, we integrated liquid extraction and electrosonic spray ionization technology to develop an ionization device coupled with a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer for imaging of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-containing lipids on rat brain tissues. The ion images of the brain tissue sections from the normal rats and the rats after TBI at acute phase (0 and 1 day) and chronic phase (3, 5, and 7 days) were obtained. The imaging results indicate that the levels of DHA and lyso-phosphatidylethanolamine (22:6) in the injury area of TBI rats increased significantly at the acute phase and subsequently decreased at the chronic phase. But the levels of DHA-containing phospholipids including phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)(P-18:0/22:6), PE(18:0/22:6), and phosphatidylserine (18:0/22:6) decreased at the acute phase and gradually increased at the chronic phase in the injury area accompanied by the morphogenesis and wound healing. These findings indicate that the DHA may participate in the recovery process of brain injury. This is the first report to in situ detect the changes in the levels of DHA and DHA-containing lipids in the TBI model.