Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI) Mass Spectrometry Imaging of L-4-Phenylalanineboronic Acid (BPA) in a Brain Tumor Model Rat for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT)

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a cell-selective particle therapy for cancer using boron containing drugs. Boron compounds are accumulated in high concentration of tens ppm level of boron in target tumors to cause lethal damage to tumor tissue. The examination of boron distribution in target tumor and normal tissue is important to evaluate the efficiency of therapy. The matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful tool to visualize the distribution of target analyte in biological samples. In this manuscript, we report a trial to visualize the distribution of a typical BNCT drug, L-4-phenylalanine boronic acid (BPA) in a brain tumor model rat using MALDI-MSI technique. We performed a MALDI-MSI with high mass resolution targeting to [BPA+H](+) at m/z 210 in a BPA-treated rat brain section using a spiral orbit-type time of flight (SpiralTOF) mass spectrometer. Several BPA ion species, [BPA+H](+), [BPA−H(2)O+Na](+), [BPA+DHB−2H(2)O+Na](+) and [BPA+DHB−2H(2)O+K](+) were detected separate from peaks originated from biomolecules or matrix reagent by achieving the mass resolving power of approximately 20,000 (full width at half maximum; FWHM) at m/z 210. The mass images with 60 μm spatial resolution obtained from these BPA ion species in a mass window of 0.02 Da revealed their localization in the tumor region. Additionally, the mass image obtained from [BPA+H](+) also likely showed the distribution of BPA inside the tumor. MALDI-MSI with high mass resolution targeting to [BPA+H](+) has a great potential to visualize the distribution of BPA in brain tissue with tumor.