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The composite containing nanosilver uniformly deposited on matrix composed of CaHPO4 x 2H2O (brushite, ca 89 mass %), CaHPO4 (monteonite, ca 9.5 mass%), and Ag3PO4 (0.5 mas%) was obtained by addition of calcium nitrate and silver nitrate aqueous solution at 30:1 Ca:Ag molar ratio into excess of (NH4)2PO4 solution at pH 5.0 – 5.5. The isolated solid was characterized by STEM, XRD, and LDI mass spectrometry. It has been found that nanosilver was uniformly distributed within composite as

Mycotoxins are well known secondary metabolites of various fungi. They pose a significant threat to human and animal when present in food or feed. They can be responsible for losses in grain production and in livestock or human intoxication. In this study, several mycotoxins were detected in Aspergillus fumigatus contaminated maize kernels. The contaminated kernels were treated with gaseous ozone at a concentration of 500 and 3000 ppm for 1 hour. Depending on the specific compound, the contamination level was reduced by up to 100%. This screening research showed that a concentration of ozone as high as 3000 ppm could be sufficient to completely remove several toxic compounds from the maize matrix., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Antos et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The laser ablation remote atmospheric pressure photoionization/chemical ionization (LARAPPI/CI) platform coupled to an ultrahigh resolution quadrupole-time-of-flight (QToF) mass spectrometer was developed and employed for the first direct three-dimensional (3D) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of metabolites in human and plant tissues. Our solution for 3D MSI does not require sample modification or cutting into thin slices. Ablation characteristics of an optical system based on a diffraction optical element are studied and used for voxel stacking to directly remove layers of tissues. Agar gel, red radish, kiwi, human kidney cancer, and normal tissue samples were used for the tests of this new system. The 2D and 3D ion images vividly illustrate differences in the abundances of selected metabolites between cancerous and noncancerous regions of the kidney tissue and also between different parts of plant tissues. The LARAPPI/CI MSI setup is also the first example of the successful use of combined dopant-assisted atmospheric pressure photoionization (DA-APPI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) ion source for mass spectrometry imaging.

The aim of this case study was the evaluation of the selected metals' concentration, potential toxic compound identification, cytotoxicity analysis, estimation of the airborne dust concentration, biodiversity, and number of microorganisms in the environment (leachate, soil, air) of the biggest uncontrolled post-industrial landfills in Poland. Based on the results obtained, preliminary solutions for the future management of post-industrial objects that have become an uncontrolled landfill were indicated. In the air, the PM 1 fraction dominated, constituting 78.1-98.2% of the particulate matter. Bacterial counts were in the ranges of 9.33 × 10 1 -3.21 × 10 3 CFU m -3 (air), 1.87 × 10 5 -2.30 × 10 6 CFU mL -1 (leachates), and 8.33 × 10 4 -2.69 × 10 6 CFU g -1 (soil). In the air, the predominant bacteria were Cellulosimicrobium and Stenotrophomonas . The predominant fungi were Mycosphaerella , Cladosporium , and Chalastospora . The main bacteria in the leachates and soils were Acinetobacter , Mortierella , Proteiniclasticum , Caloramator , and Shewanella . The main fungi in the leachates and soils were Lindtneria . Elevated concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Hg were detected. The soil showed the most pronounced cytotoxic potential, with rates of 36.55%, 63.08%, and 100% for the A-549, Caco-2, and A-549 cell lines. Nine compounds were identified which may be responsible for this cytotoxic effect, including 2,4,8-trimethylquinoline, benzo(f)quinoline, and 1-(m-tolyl)isoquinoline. The microbiome included bacteria and fungi potentially metabolizing toxic compounds and pathogenic species.

Bladder cancer (BC) ranks among the most common cancers globally, with an increasing occurrence, particularly in developed nations. Utilizing tissue metabolomics presents a promising strategy for identifying potential biomarkers for cancer detection. In this study, we utilized ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-UHRMS), incorporating both C18-silica and HILIC columns, to comprehensively analyze both polar and non-polar metabolite profiles in tissue samples from 99 patients with bladder cancer. By utilizing an untargeted approach with external validation, we identified twenty-five tissue metabolites that hold promise as potential indicators of BC. Furthermore, twenty-five characteristic tissue metabolites that exhibit discriminatory potential across bladder cancer tumor grades, as well as thirty-nine metabolites that display correlations with tumor stages were presented. Receiver operating characteristics analysis demonstrated high predictive power for all types of metabolomics data, with area under the curve (AUC) values exceeding 0.966. Notably, this study represents the first report in which human bladder normal tissues adjacent to cancerous tissues were analyzed using UHPLC-UHRMS. These findings suggest that the metabolite markers identified in this investigation could serve as valuable tools for the detection and monitoring of bladder cancer stages and grades., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Bladder cancer is a common malignancy affecting the urinary tract and effective biomarkers and for which monitoring therapeutic interventions have yet to be identified., Objectives: Major aim of this work was to perform metabolomic profiling of human bladder cancer and adjacent normal tissue and to evaluate cancer biomarkers., Methods: This study utilized nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-resolution nanoparticle-based laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) methods to investigate polar metabolite profiles in tissue samples from 99 bladder cancer patients., Results: Through NMR spectroscopy, six tissue metabolites were identified and quantified as potential indicators of bladder cancer, while LDI-MS allowed detection of 34 compounds which distinguished cancer tissue samples from adjacent normal tissue. Thirteen characteristic tissue metabolites were also found to differentiate bladder cancer tumor grades and thirteen metabolites were correlated with tumor stages. Receiver-operating characteristics analysis showed high predictive power for all three types of metabolomics data, with area under the curve (AUC) values greater than 0.853., Conclusion: To date, this is the first study in which bladder human normal tissues adjacent to cancerous tissues are analyzed using both NMR and MS method. These findings suggest that the metabolite markers identified in this study may be useful for the detection and monitoring of bladder cancer stages and grades., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Rationale: Hormones are compounds that perform many important functions in the human body, but above all their task is to maintain homeostasis by adapting them to the constantly changing environmental conditions. Even minor hormonal disorders have a negative effect on the body, leading to physical or mental changes. Therefore, monitoring these changes and precise quantification of hormones are essential for the early diagnosis of diseases related to hormonal disorders., Methods: Application of monoisotopic silver-109 and gold nanoparticles obtained by PFL (pulsed fiber laser) 2D GS (galvo-scanner) LGN (laser-generated nanomaterial) for high-resolution laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) and mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of steroid hormones is presented. Four steroid hormones, estrone, prednisolone, corticosterone and progesterone, were used as test compounds for quantitative analysis with matrix-assisted LDI time-of-flight MS apparatus. Moreover, comparison of manual measurements and semiautomatic MSI with both types of nanoparticles was performed. Methods were also tested on spiked human blood serum for quantification of steroid hormones and for estimation of the matrix effect., Results: Hormones were directly tested in 1 000 000-fold concentration change conditions ranging from 1 mg/mL to 1 ng/mL which equates to 300 ng to 300 fg of hormone per measurement spot. For almost all tested hormones MSI allowed one to obtain equal or lower limit of detection value than manual LDI-MS. The best results judged by lowest limit of detection values are found for silver-109 nanoparticles., Conclusion: The results of the quantitative analysis of steroid hormones using silver-109 and gold nanoparticles prepared with PFL 2D GS LGN for LDI-MS and semiautomatic LDI-MSI are presented. It has been proven that nanoparticles obtained by laser synthesis can be successfully used for the analysis of steroid hormones in a wide range of concentrations., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Bladder cancer (BC) is frequent cancer affecting the urinary tract and is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide. No biomarkers that can be used for effective monitoring of therapeutic interventions for this cancer have been identified to date. This study investigated polar metabolite profiles in urine samples from 100 BC patients and 100 normal controls (NCs) using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and two methods of high-resolution nanoparticle-based laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS). Five urine metabolites were identified and quantified using NMR spectroscopy to be potential indicators of bladder cancer. Twenty-five LDI-MS-detected compounds, predominantly peptides and lipids, distinguished urine samples from BC and NCs individuals. Level changes of three characteristic urine metabolites enabled BC tumor grades to be distinguished, and ten metabolites were reported to correlate with tumor stages. Receiver-Operating Characteristics analysis showed high predictive power for all three types of metabolomics data, with the area under the curve (AUC) values greater than 0.87. These findings suggest that metabolite markers identified in this study may be useful for the non-invasive detection and monitoring of bladder cancer stages and grades., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study focused on assessing the microbiological and chemical contamination of air, soil and leachate in uncontrolled refuse storage areas in central Poland. The research included an analysis of the number of microorganisms (culture method), endotoxin concentration (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), heavy metals level (atomic absorption spectrometry), elemental characteristics (elemental analyser), cytotoxicity assessment against A-549 (human lung) and Caco-2 (human colon adenocarcinoma) cell lines (PrestoBlue™ test) and toxic compound identification (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry). Microbial contamination differed depending on the dump and the group of tested microorganisms. The number of bacteria was: 4.3 × 10 2 - 1.8 × 10 3 CFU m -3 (air); 1.1 × 10 3  - 1.2 × 10 6 CFU mL -1 (leachate); 1.0 × 10 6 - 3.9 × 10 6 CFU g -1 (soil). Respectively, for air and soil the number of fungi was: 2.2 × 10 2 - 4.6 × 10 2 CFU m -3 ; 1.8 × 10 2 - 3.9 × 10 3 CFU g -1 . Metal levels (Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn, Al, Hg, Cd, Cu, Cr) were higher than in the control sample; however, the average concentrations did not exceed the permissible standards. The cytotoxicity of soil and leachate samples depended on the dump, sample and cell line tested. The leachates were more cytotoxic than soil extracts. Compounds belonging to pesticides, surfactants and biocides, chemicals and/or polymer degradation products, medicinal drugs and insect repellents were found. The detection of potential pathogens in the air, soil and leachate, the presence of toxic compounds and the confirmation of the cytotoxic effect of leachate and soil on human cell lines justify the need for further research on the risks posed by illegal dumps. These studies should aim at developing a unified assessment method and a method to minimise the risk of contaminants spreading in the environment, including harmful biological agents., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Bladder cancer (BC) is a common urological malignancy with a high probability of death and recurrence. Cystoscopy is used as a routine examination for diagnosis and following patient monitoring for recurrence. Repeated costly and intrusive treatments may discourage patients from having frequent follow-up screenings. Hence, exploring novel non-invasive ways to help identify recurrent and/or primary BC is critical. In this work, 200 human urine samples were profiled using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-UHRMS) to uncover molecular markers differentiating BC from non-cancer controls (NCs). Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses with external validation identified metabolites that distinguish BC patients from NCs disease. More detailed divisions for the stage, grade, age, and gender are also discussed. Findings indicate that monitoring urine metabolites may provide a non-invasive and more straightforward diagnostic method for identifying BC and treating recurrent diseases., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Bladder cancer (BC) is the 10th most common form of cancer worldwide and the 2nd most common cancer of the urinary tract after prostate cancer, taking into account both incidence and prevalence., Materials/methods: Tissues from patients with BC and also tissue extracts were analyzed by laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (LDI-MSI) with monoisotopic silver-109 nanoparticles-enhanced target ( 109 AgNPET)., Results: Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses revealed 10 metabolites that differentiated between tumor and normal tissues from six patients with diagnosed BC. Selected metabolites are discussed in detail in relation to their mass spectrometry (MS) imaging results. The pathway analysis enabled us to link these compounds with 17 metabolic pathways., Conclusions: According to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of biomarkers, 10 known metabolites were identified as the new potential biomarkers with areas under the curve (AUC) higher than >0.99. In both univariate and multivariate analysis, it was predicted that these compounds could serve as useful discriminators of cancerous versus normal tissue in patients diagnosed with BC., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interests., (Copyright © 2022 Medical University of Bialystok. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed types of urinary cancer. Despite advances in treatment methods, no specific biomarkers are currently in use. Targeted and untargeted profiling of metabolites and elements of human blood serum from 100 BC patients and the same number of normal controls (NCs), with external validation, was attempted using three analytical methods, i.e., nuclear magnetic resonance, gold and silver-109 nanoparticle-based laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). All results were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. Four potential serum biomarkers of BC, namely, isobutyrate, pyroglutamate, choline, and acetate, were quantified with proton nuclear magnetic resonance, which had excellent predictive ability as judged by the area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.999. Two elements, Li and Fe, were also found to distinguish between cancer and control samples, as judged from ICP-OES data and AUC of 0.807 (in validation set). Twenty-five putatively identified compounds, mostly related to glycans and lipids, differentiated BC from NCs, as detected using LDI-MS. Five serum metabolites were found to discriminate between tumor grades and nine metabolites between tumor stages. The results from three different analytical platforms demonstrate that the identified distinct serum metabolites and metal elements have potential to be used for noninvasive detection, staging, and grading of BC., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Rationale: 3-Hydroxycarboxylic acids are one of the major components of bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS), also known as endotoxins. Endotoxins pose a serious health risk and can seriously damage the internal organs of humans and animals. 3-Hydroxycarboxylic acids can be used as environmental markers to determine endotoxin levels. At the time of preparation of this manuscript no studies on laser mass spectrometry (MS) and analysis with silver nanoparticles (NP) for 3-hydroxycarboxylic acids have been published in literature., Methods: Six acids, 3-hydroxyoctanoic (3-OH-C8:0), 3-hydroxydecanoic (3-OH-C10:0), 3-hydroxydodecanoic (3-OH-C12:0), 3-hydroxytetradecanoic (3-OH-C14:0), 3-hydroxyhexadecanoic (3-OH-C16:0), and 3-hydroxyoctadecanoic (3-OH-C18:0) acids, were used as test compounds on the target containing silver-109 NPs for quantification using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-type mass spectrometer. Methods were also tested on spiked human blood serum samples to quantify 3-hydroxycarboxylic acids and verify the influence of the biological matrix on the measurement., Results: Analyzed acids were directly tested in 1 000 000-fold concentration change conditions ranging from 1 mg/mL to 1 ng/mL. The semi-automatic MSI (MS imaging) method allowed us to obtain two to five times lower limit of detection (LOD) and lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) values than common LDI (Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany) method for analyzed acids. For almost all results of 3-hydroxycarboxylic acids, the trendline fit was better for the semi-automatic MSI method than the manual LDI method., Conclusion: For the first time, the use of laser MS for the quantification of 3-hydroxycarboxylic acids has been demonstrated, and it has been proven that it can be used in the quantitative analysis of such compounds over a wide range of concentrations. In addition, a comparison of two methods-manual LDI-MS and semi-automatic MSI-is presented., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Bladder cancer (BC) is a common urological cancer of high mortality and recurrence rates. Currently, cystoscopy is performed as standard examination for the diagnosis and subsequent monitoring for recurrence of the patients. Frequent expensive and invasive procedures may deterrent patients from regular follow-up screening, therefore it is important to look for new non-invasive methods to aid in the detection of recurrent and/or primary BC. In this study, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry was employed for non-targeted metabolomic profiling of 200 human serum samples to identify biochemical signatures that differentiate BC from non-cancer controls (NCs). Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses with external validation revealed twenty-seven metabolites that differentiate between BC patients from NCs. Abundances of these metabolites displayed statistically significant differences in two independent training and validation sets. Twenty-three serum metabolites were also found to be distinguishing between low- and high-grade of BC patients and controls. Thirty-seven serum metabolites were found to differentiate between different stages of BC. The results suggest that measurement of serum metabolites may provide more facile and less invasive diagnostic methodology for detection of bladder cancer and recurrent disease management., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

This study aimed to assess the physicochemical, microbiological and toxicological hazards at an illegal landfill in central Poland. The research included the analysis of airborne dust (laser photometer), the number of microorganisms in the air, soil and leachate (culture method) and the microbial diversity in the landfill environment (high-throughput sequencing on the Illumina Miseq); the cytotoxicity ( PrestoBlue ) and genotoxicity (alkaline comet assay) of soil and leachate were tested. Moreover, an analysis of UHPLC-Q-ToF-UHRMS (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry) was performed to determine the toxic compounds and microbial metabolites. The PM 1 dust fraction constituted 99.89% and 99.99% of total dust and exceeded the threshold of 0.025 mg m -3 at the tested locations. In the air, the total number of bacteria was 9.33 × 10 1 -1.11 × 10 3 CFU m -3 , while fungi ranged from 1.17 × 10 2 to 4.73 × 10 2 CFU m -3 . Psychrophilic bacteria were detected in the largest number in leachates (3.3 × 10 4 to 2.69 × 10 6 CFU mL -1 ) and in soil samples (8.53 × 10 5 to 1.28 × 10 6 CFU g -1 ). Bacteria belonging to Proteobacteria (42-64.7%), Bacteroidetes (4.2-23.7%), Actinobacteria (3.4-19.8%) and Firmicutes (0.7-6.3%) dominated. In the case of fungi, Basidiomycota (23.3-27.7%), Ascomycota (5.6-46.3%) and Mortierellomycota (3.1%) have the highest abundance. Bacteria ( Bacillus , Clostridium , Cellulosimicrobium , Escherichia , Pseudomonas ) and fungi ( Microascus , Chrysosporium , Candida , Malassezia , Aspergillus , Alternaria , Fusarium , Stachybotrys , Cladosporium , Didymella ) that are potentially hazardous to human health were detected in samples collected from the landfill. Tested leachates and soils were characterised by varied cyto/genotoxins. Common pesticides (carbamazepine, prometryn, terbutryn, permethrin, carbanilide, pyrethrin, carbaryl and prallethrin), quaternary ammonium compounds (benzalkonium chlorides), chemicals and/or polymer degradation products (melamine, triphenylphosphate, diphenylphtalate, insect repellent diethyltoluamide, and drugs (ketoprofen)) were found in soil and leachate samples. It has been proven that the tested landfill is the source of the emission of particulate matter; microorganisms (including potential pathogens) and cyto/genotoxic compounds.

Application of monoisotopic cationic 109 Ag nanoparticles ( 109 AgNPs) obtained by pulsed fiber laser (PFL) 2D galvo-scanner (GS) laser generated nanomaterial (LGN) for both high resolution laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and mass spectrometry imaging of amino acids is presented. Four amino acids, alanine, isoleucine, lysine, and phenylalanine were used as test compounds for quantification with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mas (MALDI)-type mass spectrometer. Comparison of commonly made manual measurements with semiautomatic mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) was performed providing very interesting findings. Amino acids were directly tested in 1 000 000-fold concentration change conditions ranging from 1 mg/ml to 1 ng/ml, which equates to 500 ng to 500 fg of amino acid per measurement spot. Methods were also tested on samples of human blood plasma for quantification of endogenous amino acids., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Despite the awareness that work in the sewage treatment plant is associated with biological hazards, they have not been fully recognised so far. The research aims to comprehensively evaluate microbiological and toxicological hazards in the air and settled dust in workstations in a sewage treatment plant. The number of microorganisms in the air and settled dust was determined using the culture method and the diversity was evaluated using high-throughput sequencing. Endotoxin concentration was assessed with GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) while secondary metabolites with LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry). Moreover, cytotoxicity of settled dust against a human lung epithelial lung cell line was determined with the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and UHPLC-Q-ToF-UHRMS (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry) analysis was performed to determine the source of cytotoxicity. The total dust concentration in the sewage treatment plant was low and ranged from 0.030 mg m -3 to 0.044 mg m -3 . The highest microbiological contamination was observed in sludge thickening building and screenings storage. Three secondary metabolites were detected in the air and sixteen in the settled dust. They were dominated by compounds typical of lichen and plants and Aspergillus , Penicillium and Fusarium genera mould. The settled dust from the sludge thickening building revealed high cytotoxicity to human lung epithelial cells A-549 (IC 50 = 6.98 after 72 h). This effect can be attributed to a biocidal compound-didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC-C10) and seven toxic compounds: 4-hydroxynonenal, carbofuran, cerulenin, diethylphosphate, fenpropimorph, naphthalene and onchidal. The presence of DDAC-C10 and other biocidal substances in the sewage treatment plant environment may bring negative results for biological sewage treatment and the natural environment in the future and contribute to microorganisms' increasing antibiotics resistance. Therefore, the concentration of antibiotics, pesticides and disinfectants in sewage treatment plant workstations should be monitored.

Purpose: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a very aggressive and often fatal heterogeneous disease that is usually asymptomatic until late in the disease. There is an urgent need for RCC specific biomarkers that may be exploited clinically for diagnostic and prognostic purposes., Materials/methods: Serum and urine samples were collected from patients with diagnosed kidney cancer and assessed with gold nanoparticle enhanced target (AuNPET) surface assisted-laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI MS) based metabolomics and statistical analysis., Results: A database search allowed providing assignment of signals for the most promising features with a satisfactory value of the area under the curve and accuracy. Four potential biomarkers were found in urine and serum samples to distinguish clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) from controls, 4 for the ccRCC with and without metastases, and 6 metabolites to distinguish low and high stages or grades., Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that serum and urine metabolomics based on AuNPET-LDI MS may be useful in distinguishing types, grades and stages of human RCC., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing and financial interest., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Preparation of monoisotopic silver-109 nanoparticles ( 109 AgNPs) by pulsed fiber laser (PFL) ablation synthesis in solution (LASiS) with the use of a 2D galvoscanner (2D GS) is described. The procedure of covering of custom-made stainless-steel MALDI targets containing studied objects via nebulization is also presented. Examples of application of the new method (PFL-2D GS LASiS and nebulization) in mass spectrometry (MS) analyses and MS imaging (MSI) are shown. These include tests with a nonionic nucleoside and saccharide, ionic amino acids, and also a low-molecular-weight polymer. Fingerprint MS imaging is shown as an example of a fast and simple MSI procedure., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Introduction: Kidney cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed and the most lethal urinary cancer. Despite advances in treatment, no specific biomarker is currently in use to guide therapeutic interventions., Objectives: Major aim of this work was to perform metabolomic and elemental profiling of human kidney cancer and normal tissue and to evaluate cancer biomarkers., Methods: Metabolic and elemental profiling of tumor and adjacent normal human kidney tissue from 50 patients with kidney cancer was undertaken using three different analytical methods., Results: Five potential tissue biomarkers of kidney cancer were identified and quantified using with high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The contents of selected chemical elements in tissues was analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Eleven mass spectral features differentiating between kidney cancer and normal tissues were detected using silver-109 nanoparticle enhanced steel target laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry., Conclusions: Our results, derived from the combination of ICP-OES, LDI MS and 1H NMR methods, suggest that tissue biomarkers identified herein appeared to have great potential for use in clinical prognosis and/or diagnosis of kidney cancer.

Kidney cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers of the urinary tract in the world. Despite significant advances in kidney cancer treatment, no urine specific biomarker is currently used to guide therapeutic interventions. In an effort to address this knowledge gap, metabolic profiling of urine samples from 50 patients with kidney cancer and 50 healthy volunteers was undertaken using high-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H NMR) and silver-109 nanoparticle enhanced steel target laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry ( 109 AgNPET LDI MS). Twelve potential urine biomarkers of kidney cancer were identified and quantified using one-dimensional (1D) 1 H NMR metabolomics. Seven mass spectral features which differed significantly in abundance (p < 0.05) between kidney cancer patients and healthy volunteers were also detected using 109 AgNPET-based laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI MS). This work provides a framework to expand biomarker discovery that could be used as useful diagnostic or prognostic of kidney cancer progression., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial and/or non-financial interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to detect and quantify mycotoxins on building materials using innovative laser mass spectroscopy methods-silver-109/silver/gold nanoparticle-enhanced target surface-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry ( 109 AgNPs, AgNPs and AuNPs SALDI). Results from SALDI-type methods were also compared with commonly used matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. Standards of seven moulds mycotoxin in a final concentration of 100 µg/mL for patulin, citrinin, 3-nitropropionic acid, alternariol and 20 µg/mL for sterigmatocystin, cyclopiazonic acid, roquefortine C in the mixture were tested in pure solutions and after extraction from the plasterboards. Among the studied SALDI-type method, the lowest detection limits and the highest signal intensity of the mycotoxins tested were obtained with the use of 109 AgNPs SALDI MS. The 109 AgNPs method may be considered as an alternative to the currently most frequently used method MALDI MS and also liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry LC-MS/MS for mycotoxin determination. Future studies should attempt to use these methods for mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) to evaluate spatial distribution and depth of mycotoxin penetration into building materials.

Renal cell carcinoma is a very aggressive and often fatal disease for which there are no specific biomarkers found to date. The purpose of this work was to find features that differentiate urine metabolic profiles of healthy people and cancer patients. Laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry on gold nanostructures-based techniques were used for the metabolic analysis of urine of 50 patients with kidney cancer. Comparison with data from 50 healthy volunteers led to the discovery of several compounds that may be considered potential renal cell carcinoma (RCC) biomarkers. Statistical analysis of data allowed for the discovery of m/z values that had the greatest impact on group differentiation. A database search enabled the assignment of signals for the most promising 15 features among them: serine, heptanol, 3-methylene-indolenine, 2-methyl-3-hydroxy-5-formylpyridine-4-carboxylate, phosphodimethylethanolamine, 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid, N-acetylglutamine, 3,5-dihydroxyphenylvaleric acid, hydroxyhexanoylglycine, valyl-leucine, leucyl-histidine, oleamide, 9,12,13-trihydroxyoctadecenoic acid, stearidonyl carnitine and squalene. Differences of metabolite profiles of human urine could be identified by gold nanoparticle-enhanced target (AuNPET) LDI MS method and used for the detection of renal cancer.

To date, no method has been developed to assess the distribution of mycotoxins on the surface of grains, or other plant material, and the depth of their penetration into the interior. The Infrared (IR) Laser Ablation-Remote-Electrospray Ionization (LARESI) platform coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer (MS/MS), measuring in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode, was employed for the targeted imaging of selected metabolites of Aspergillus fumigatus , including mycotoxins in biological objects for the first time. This methodology allowed for the localisation of grain metabolites and fungal metabolites of grain infected by this mould. The distribution of metabolites in spelt grain was differentiated: fumigaclavine C, fumitremorgin C, and fumiquinazoline D were located mainly in the embryo, brevianamide F in the seed coat, and fumagillin in the endosperm. The LARESI mass spectrometry imaging method can be used in the future for the metabolomic analysis of mould metabolites in various plants and agricultural products.

A comparison of ionization efficiency for gold and silver nanoparticles used as an active media of matrix-less laser desorption/ionization (LDI) mass spectrometry (MS) methods was made for carboxylic acids including fatty acids. The matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-type targets containing monoisotopic cationic 109 Ag nanoparticles ( 109 AgNPs) and Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) were used for rapid MS measurements of 10 carboxylic acids of different chemical properties. Carboxylic acids were directly quantified in experiments with 10 000-fold concentration change conditions ranging from 1 mg/ml to 100 ng/ml which equates to 1 μg to 100 pg of carboxylic acids per measurement spot., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Kidney cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed and the most lethal urinary cancer. Despite all the efforts made, no serum-specific biomarker is currently used in the clinical management of patients with this tumor. In this study, comprehensive high-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H NMR) and silver-109 nanoparticle-enhanced steel target laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry ( 109 AgNPET LDI MS) approaches were conducted, in conjunction with multivariate data analysis, to discriminate the global serum metabolic profiles of kidney cancer (n = 50) and healthy volunteers (n = 49). Eight potential biomarkers have been identified using 1 H NMR metabolomics and nine mass spectral features which differed significantly (p < 0.05) between kidney cancer patients and healthy volunteers, as observed by LDI MS. A partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model generated from metabolic profiles obtained by both analytical approaches could robustly discriminate normal from cancerous samples (Q 2  > 0.7), area under the receiver operative characteristic curve (ROC) AUC > 0.96. Compared with healthy human serum, kidney cancer serum had higher levels of glucose and lower levels of choline, glycerol, glycine, lactate, leucine, myo-inositol, and 1-methylhistidine. Analysis of differences between these metabolite levels in patients with different types and grades of kidney cancer was undertaken. Our results, derived from the combination of LDI MS and 1 H NMR methods, suggest that serum biomarkers identified herein appeared to have great potential for use in clinical prognosis and/or diagnosis of kidney cancer. Graphical abstract.

Infrared (IR) laser ablation-remote-electrospray ionization (LARESI) platform coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer (MS/MS) operated in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) or multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) modes was developed and employed for imaging of target metabolites in human kidney cancer tissue. SRM or MRM modes were employed to avoid artifacts that are present in full scan MS mode. Four tissue samples containing both cancerous and noncancerous regions, obtained from three patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), were imaged. Sixteen endogenous metabolites that were reported in the literature as varying in abundance between cancerous and noncancerous areas in various human tissues were selected for analysis. Target metabolites comprised ten amino acids, four nucleosides and nucleobases, lactate, and vitamin E. For comparison purposes, images of the same metabolites were obtained with ultraviolet (UV) desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (UV-LDI-MSI) using monoisotopic silver-109 nanoparticle-enhanced target ( 109 AgNPET) in full-scan MS mode. The acquired MS images revealed differences in abundances of selected metabolites between cancerous and noncancerous regions of the kidney tissue. Importantly, the two imaging methods offered similar results. This study demonstrates the applicability of the novel ambient LARESI SRM/MRM MSI method to both investigating and discovering cancer biomarkers in human tissue.

In this work, beeswax was used for the first time for finishing polyester/Cotton/Viscose blend fabric and polyester fabric. The aims of the study were: (1) to characterize the composition of beeswax (using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, GC-MS and 109 AgNPET laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI MS); (2) to develop a laboratory method for applying beeswax; (3) to assess the antimicrobial activity of beeswax fabrics against bacteria and fungi (AATCC 100-2004 test); and (4) to assess the properties of textiles modified by beeswax. Beeswax was composed of fatty acids, monoacyl esters, glyceride esters and more complex lipids. The bioactivity of modified fabrics was from -0.09 to 1.55. The highest biocidal activity (>1) was obtained for both fabrics against A. niger mold. The beeswax modification process neither affected the morphological structure of the fibers (the wax evenly covered the surface of the fibers) nor their color. The only statistically significant changes observed were in the mechanical properties of the fabrics. The results obtained indicate that modification of fabrics with beeswax may endow them with biocidal properties against molds, which has practical applications, for example, for the prevention of skin mycoses in health and social care facilities.

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch., Rosaceae) is the subject of many research studies due to its numerous features such as unique taste, aroma and health qualities. The distribution of low molecular weight metabolites belonging to aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, esters, organic acids, phenolics, amino acids and sugars classes within strawberry fruit cross-section was studied using mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) method with 109 Ag nanoparticle enhanced target ( 109 AgNPET). Correlation of distribution of over thirty compounds found in cross-section of strawberry with their biological function is also included., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most prevalent and lethal malignancy of the kidney. Despite all the efforts made, no tissue biomarker is currently used in the clinical management of patients with kidney cancer. A search for possible biomarkers in urine for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has been conducted. Non-targeted metabolomic analyses were performed on paired samples of surgically removed renal cancer and normal tissue, as well as on urine samples. Extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Hydroxybutyrylcarnitine, decanoylcarnitine, propanoylcarnitine, carnitine, dodecanoylcarnitine, and norepinephrine sulfate were found in much higher concentrations in both cancer tissues (compared with the paired normal tissue) and in urine of cancer patients (compared with control urine). In contrast, riboflavin and acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) were present at significantly higher concentrations both in normal kidney tissue as well as in urine samples of healthy persons. This preliminary study resulted in the identification of several compounds that may be considered potential clear cell renal carcinoma biomarkers. Graphical abstract PLS-DA plot based on LC-MS data for normal and cancer human tissue samples. The aim of this work was the identification of up- and downregulated compounds that could potentially serve as renal cancer biomarkers.

Surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry on gold nanoparticle enhanced target (AuNPET) technique was used for metabolomic analysis and secondary metabolites detection of two mould strains - Aspergillus versicolor and Penicillium chrysogenum in model conditions on microbiological malt extract agar medium. Results obtained with the use of AuNPET-based mass spectrometry technique were compared with traditional matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) method based on α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) matrices. Gold nanoparticle enhanced target method enabled effective ionization of microbial cellular extract ingredients without interference from the matrix and also improved calibration of spectra resulting in the detection of much higher amount of characteristic metabolites for studied organisms than MALDI., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A new methodology applicable for both high-resolution laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and mass spectrometry imaging of amino acids is presented. The matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-type target containing monoisotopic cationic 109 Ag nanoparticles ( 109 AgNPs) was used for rapid mass spectrometry measurements of 11 amino acids of different chemical properties. Amino acids were directly tested in 100,000-fold concentration change conditions ranging from 100 μg/mL to 1 ng/mL which equates to 50 ng to 500 fg of amino acid per measurement spot. Limit of detection values obtained suggest that presented method/target system is among the fastest and most sensitive ones in laser mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry imaging of spots of human blood plasma spiked with amino acids showed their surface distribution allowing optimization of quantitative measurements., (Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Aim: Renal cell carcinoma is a very aggressive and often fatal disease for which there are no specific biomarkers found to date. The purpose of work was to find substances that differentiate the cancerous and healthy tissue by using laser desorption/ionization MS imaging combined with silver nanoparticle-enhanced target., Results: Ion images and comparative analysis of spectra revealed differences in intensities for several metabolites, for which their biochemical properties were discussed. Statistical analysis allowed to distinguish healthy and cancer tissue without the involvement of a pathologist., Conclusion: Laser desorption/ionization MS imaging technology combined with silver nanoparticle-enhanced target enabled rapid visualization of the differences between the clear cell renal cell carcinoma and the healthy part of the kidney tissue.

Introduction: Garlic (Allium sativum) is the subject of many studies due to its numerous beneficial properties. Although compounds of garlic have been studied by various analytical methods, their tissue distributions are still unclear. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) appears to be a very powerful tool for the identification of the localisation of compounds within a garlic clove., Objective: Visualisation of the spatial distribution of garlic low-molecular weight compounds with nanoparticle-based MSI., Methodology: Compounds occurring on the cross-section of sprouted garlic has been transferred to gold-nanoparticle enhanced target (AuNPET) by imprinting. The imprint was then subjected to MSI analysis., Results: The results suggest that low molecular weight compounds, such as amino acids, dipeptides, fatty acids, organosulphur and organoselenium compounds are distributed within the garlic clove in a characteristic manner. It can be connected with their biological functions and metabolic properties in the plant., Conclusion: New methodology for the visualisation of low molecular weight compounds allowed a correlation to be made between their spatial distribution within a sprouted garlic clove and their biological function. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., (Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a central nervous system tumor of grade IV, according to the WHO classification, extremely resistant to all currently used forms of therapy, including resection, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or combined therapy. Therefore, more effective treatment strategies of this tumor are needed, with boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) being a potential solution, provided a proper cancer cells-targeted 10B delivery agent is found. In search of such an agent, toxicity and capacity to target DNA of a boronated derivative of 2'-deoxycytidine, N(4)-[B-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan)methyl]-2'-deoxycytidine (1), was tested against human tumor vs. normal cells. The present in vitro results revealed 1 to show low toxicity for human U-118 MG glioma cells (in the mM range) and even by 3-4 - fold lower against normal human fibroblasts. In accord, induction of apoptosis dependent on caspase-3 and caspase-7 was detected at high (>20mM) concentration of 1. Although demonstrated to be susceptible to phosphorylation by human deoxycytidine kinase and to undergo incorporation in cellular DNA, the boron analogue did not disturb cell proliferation when applied at non-toxic concentrations and showed low toxicity to a model metazoan organism, Caenorhabditis elegans. Thus, N(4)-[B-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan)methyl]-2'-deoxycytidine appears a promising candidate for a 10B delivery agent to be used in BNCT, with C. elegans indicated as a good model for in vivo studies., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: European yew (Taxus baccata) is a plant known to man for centuries as it produces many interesting and important metabolites. These chemical compounds were repeatedly analysed by various analytical techniques, but none of the methods used so far allowed the localisation of the chemical compounds within the tissue and also correlation between plant morphology and its biochemistry., Objective: Visualisation of the spatial distribution of yew metabolites with nanoparticle-based mass spectrometry imaging., Methodology: Compounds occurring on cross-section of a one-year yew sprig has been transferred to gold nanoparticle-enhanced target (AuNPET) by imprinting. The imprint was then subjected to mass spectrometry imaging analysis., Results: Nanoparticle-enhanced mass spectrometry imaging made it possible to study the distribution of selected compounds in the European yew tissue, including taxanes - terpene alkaloids characteristic for the Taxus genus. Results prove that aspartate, taxinine M, baccatin IV and taxine B are located mainly in the cortex. Taxuspine W was located in the vascular tissue. Maleate was found to be located mainly in the phloem tissue. In contrast, the proton adduct of chlorophyll b was found in the external layer of twigs., Conclusion: The results presented a high correlation between the location of compounds and the morphology of the plant, thus giving the opportunity to see the selected details of chemical structure of the analysed tissue for the first time. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., (Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (LDI-MSI) with gold nanoparticle-enhanced target (AuNPET) was used for visualization of small molecules in the rhubarb stalk (Rheum rhabarbarum L.). Analysis was focused on spatial distribution of biologically active compounds which are found in rhubarb species. Detected compounds belong to a very wide range of chemical compound classes such as anthraquinone derivatives and their glucosides, stilbenes, anthocyanins, flavonoids, polyphenols, organic acids, chromenes, chromanones, chromone glycosides and vitamins. The analysis of the spatial distribution of these compounds in rhubarb stalk with the nanoparticle-rich surface of AuNPET target plate has been made without additional matrix and with minimal sample preparation steps., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used in all branches of industry. However, their mechanisms of action towards moulds have not been studied yet. Thus we conducted this study in which we have used laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDI-ToF-MS) analysis to determine metabolomic changes, and microscopic analysis (transmission electron microscopy, fluorescent microscopy) to observe changes in mould cells. The AgNP treatment caused the downregulation of 162 (15 ppm) and 284 (62 ppm), and 19 (15 ppm) and 29 (62 ppm) metabolites of Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum, respectively. All influenced features were below m/z 600 (mass-to-charge ratio). We have observed silver ions and their clusters (Ag, Ag 2 , and Ag 3 ) accumulated in the mould mycelium. As well as, mono-silver ion adducts with nucleotide derivatives (Coenzyme A), amino acids (phenylglycine), peptides (LeuSerAlaLeuGlu) and lipids (fatty acids, diacylglycerophosphoglycerols, monoglicerides and glycerophospholipids). The ultrastructure analysis revealed many sever alterations due to the action of AgNPs, such us shortening and condensation of hyphae, ultrastructural reorganisation, cell plasmolysis, increased vacuolisation, numerous membranous structures, collapsed cytoplasm, accumulation of lipid material, condensed mitochondria, disintegration of organelles, nuclear deformation, condensation and fragmentation of chromatin, creation of apoptotic bodies, as well as a new inside cell wall in P. chrysogenum.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for several percent of all adult malignant tumor cases and is directly associated with over 120 thousand death cases worldwide annually. Therefore, there is a need for cancer biomarker tests and methods capable of discriminating between normal and malignant tissue. It is demonstrated that gold nanoparticle enhanced target (AuNPET), a nanoparticle-based, surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization (SALDI)-type mass spectrometric method for analysis and imaging, can differentiate between normal and cancerous renal tissue. Diglyceride DG(18:1/20:0)-sodium adduct and protonated octadecanamide ions were found to have greatly elevated intensities in cancerous part of analyzed tissue specimen. Compounds responsible for mentioned ions formation were pointed out as a potential clear cell RCC biomarkers. Their biological properties and localization on the tissue surface are also discussed. Potential application of presented results may also facilitate clinical decision making during surgery for large renal masses.

Endogenous thymidylate synthases, isolated from tissues or cultured cells of the same specific origin, have been reported to show differing slow-binding inhibition patterns. These were reflected by biphasic or linear dependence of the inactivation rate on time and accompanied by differing inhibition parameters. Considering its importance for chemotherapeutic drug resistance, the possible effect of thymidylate synthase inhibition by post-translational modification was tested, e.g. phosphorylation, by comparing sensitivities to inhibition by two slow-binding inhibitors, 5-fluoro-dUMP and N(4)-hydroxy-dCMP, of two fractions of purified recombinant mouse enzyme preparations, phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated, separated by metal oxide/hydroxide affinity chromatography on Al(OH)3 beads. The modification, found to concern histidine residues and influence kinetic properties by lowering Vmax, altered both the pattern of dependence of the inactivation rate on time from linear to biphasic, as well as slow-binding inhibition parameters, with each inhibitor studied. Being present on only one subunit of at least a great majority of phosphorylated enzyme molecules, it probably introduced dimer asymmetry, causing the altered time dependence of the inactivation rate pattern (biphasic with the phosphorylated enzyme) and resulting in asymmetric binding of each inhibitor studied. The latter is reflected by the ternary complexes, stable under denaturing conditions, formed by only the non-phosphorylated subunit of the phosphorylated enzyme with each of the two inhibitors and N(5,10)-methylenetetrahydrofolate. Inhibition of the phosphorylated enzyme by N(4)-hydroxy-dCMP was found to be strongly dependent on [Mg(2+)], cations demonstrated previously to also influence the activity of endogenous mouse TS isolated from tumour cells.

Thymidylate synthase (TS) may undergo phosphorylation endogenously in mammalian cells, and as a recombinant protein expressed in bacterial cells, as indicated by the reaction of purified enzyme protein with Pro-Q® Diamond Phosphoprotein Gel Stain (PGS). With recombinant human, mouse, rat, Trichinella spiralis and Caenorhabditis elegans TSs, expressed in Escherichia coli, the phosphorylated, compared to non-phosphorylated recombinant enzyme forms, showed a decrease in Vmax(app), bound their cognate mRNA (only rat enzyme studied), and repressed translation of their own and several heterologous mRNAs (human, rat and mouse enzymes studied). However, attempts to determine the modification site(s), whether endogenously expressed in mammalian cells, or recombinant proteins, did not lead to unequivocal results. Comparative ESI-MS/analysis of IEF fractions of TS preparations from parental and FdUrd-resistant mouse leukemia L1210 cells, differing in sensitivity to inactivation by FdUMP, demonstrated phosphorylation of Ser(10) and Ser(16) in the resistant enzyme only, although PGS staining pointed to the modification of both L1210 TS proteins. The TS proteins phosphorylated in bacterial cells were shown by (31)P NMR to be modified only on histidine residues, like potassium phosphoramidate (KPA)-phosphorylated TS proteins. NanoLC-MS/MS, enabling the use of CID and ETD peptide fragmentation methods, identified several phosphohistidine residues, but certain phosphoserine and phosphothreonine residues were also implicated. Molecular dynamics studies, based on the mouse TS crystal structure, allowed one to assess potential of several phosphorylated histidine residues to affect catalytic activity, the effect being phosphorylation site dependent., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Boron-neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary anticancer therapy that requires boron compound for nuclear reaction during which high energy alpha particles and lithium nuclei are formed. Unnatural, boron-containing nucleoside with hydrophobic pinacol moiety was investigated as a potential BNCT boron delivery agent. Biological properties of this compound are presented for the first time and prove that boron nucleoside has low cytotoxicity and that observed apoptotic effects suggest alteration of important functions of cancer cells. Mass spectrometry analysis of DNA from cancer cells proved that boron nucleoside is inserted into nucleic acids as a functional nucleotide derivative. NMR studies present very high degree of similarity of natural dG-dC base pair with dG-boron nucleoside system., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Gold nanoparticle-enhanced target (AuNPET) was used for detailed investigation of various materials of biological origin - human fingerprint, onion bulb and chicken liver. Analysis of these objects was focused on toxic and harmful compounds - designer drug containing pentedrone, diphenylamine in onion and potentially cancerogenic metronidazole antibiotic in liver. Detection of large quantity of endogenous compounds from mentioned objects is also shown. Most of analyzed compounds were also localized with MS imaging and relationship between their function and location was discussed. Detected compounds belong to a very wide range of chemical compounds such as saccharides, ionic and non-ionic glycerides, amino acids, fatty acids, sulfides, sulfoxides, phenols etc. Fingerprint experiments demonstrate application of AuNPET for detection, structure confirmation and also co-localization of drug with ridge patterns proving person-drug contact., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Silver nanoparticles have been successfully applied as a matrix replacement for the laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDI-ToF-MS). Nanoparticles, producing spectra with highly reduced chemical background in the low m/z region, are perfectly suited for low-molecular weight compound analysis and imaging. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can efficiently absorb ultraviolet laser radiation, transfer energy to the analyte and promote analyte desorption, but also constitute a source of silver ions suitable for analyte cationisation. This review provides an overview of the literature on silver nanomaterials as non-conventional desorption and ionization promoters in LDI-MS and mass spectrometry imaging.