查看文章

Herein we report the first attempt of coupling multidimensional separations to matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometric imaging detection. Complex neuropeptide mixtures extracted from crustaceans were first fractionated by reversed‐phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), and then subjected to a capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometric imaging platform. With a specific focus on orcokinin family neuropeptides, we demonstrated that these trace‐level analytes from complex neural tissue samples can be fully separated from chemical noise and interfering components and visualized as mass spectrometric imaging signals. A total of 19 putative orcokinins were detected, with highly efficient separations within the family being achieved for the first time. The results indicate that two‐dimensional separation coupling to mass spectrometric imaging can serve as a novel and powerful tool in …