Observation on caudal fin regeneration of zebrafish using high-spatial resolution mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) methods

Abstract

We observed the molecular distribution changes that occurred during the regeneration of fresh zebrafish caudal fins using the recently developed ambient high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) imaging technique of atmospheric pressure-nanoparticle and plasma assisted laser desorption ionization (AP-nanoPALDI) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The zebrafish caudal fin is not only a very appropriate bio-specimen for mass spectrometry due to its thickness of less than 200 micrometers but also a very important organ for tissue regeneration studies. Thus, mass spectrometry methods could be widely applied to the wound healing studies using caudal fins of zebrafish due to providing plenty of biomolecular information. The chemical mapping images obtained by two different MS methods seem to represent different spatial distributions of small molecules due to differences in detection/ionization methods, analytical procedures, and experimental conditions. However, careful observation and interpretation confirms that both MS imaging techniques provide important information about the regeneration of the zebrafish caudal fin. In addition, the complementary information of the bulk and surface sensitive analyses can be used to observe the regeneration phenomenon of the truncated caudal fin in more detail.