Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 9522–9529 |
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Number of pages | 8 |
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Journal | Analytical Chemistry |
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Volume | 91 |
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Issue number | 15 |
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Early online date | 2 Jul 2019 |
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DOIs | |
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Publication status | Published - 6 Aug 2019 |
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Multicellular tumor spheroids (MTS) are a well-established model system for drug development and are a valuable in vitro research tool for use prior to employing animal models. These 3D-cell cultures are thought to display chemical gradients of oxygen and nutrients throughout their structure, giving rise to distinct microenvironments in radial layers, thus mimicking the pathophysiological environment of a tumor. Little is known about the localized distributions of metabolites within these microenvironments. To address this, here we utilize high spectral resolution Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR), MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) to image the distribution of endogenous metabolites in breast cancer MCF-7 spheroids. We show that known specific metabolite markers (adenosine phosphates and glutathione) indicate that the central region of these cell culture models experiences increased hypoxic and oxidative stress. By using discriminatory analysis, we have identified which m/z values localize towards the outer proliferative or central hypoxic regions of an MTS and have assigned elemental formula with sub-ppm error. Using this information, we have mapped these metabolites back to distinct pathways to improve our understanding of the molecular environment and biochemistry of these tumor models.
ID: 99785085