A química de produtos naturais da família Asteraceae tem sido foco de estudo do Núcleo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos (NPPNS) da FCFRP-USP que relatou diversas novas moléculas, com destaque para a classe das lactonas sesquiterpênicas. Para essas substâncias já foram atribuídas diversas atividades farmacológicas tais como antioxidante, anti-inflamatória, antimicrobiana, analgésicas e tripanossomicida. A atividade antitumoral da lactona sesquiterpênica goyazensolido (GOYA) foi avaliada no NPPNS e esse estudo revelou uma atividade farmacológica interessante paras as linhagens de tumor cutâneo e cerebral. Com isso, viu-se nesta classe de substâncias uma oportunidade para explorar o potencial antitumoral assim como sua distribuição e metabolismo. Para compreender melhor a distribuição dessa substância na pele, o modelo in vitro de penetração utilizando células de Franz e pele de orelha de porco como membrana foi aplicado. Para esse estudo um método de geração de imagem MALDI-MSI para avaliação da distribuição do GOYA na pele, assim como, um método por UPLC-MS/MS foram desenvolvidos. Para o desenvolvimento e validação do método de MALDI-MS as substâncias doxorrubicina e minoxidil, com estudos de penetração já estabelecidos, foram utilizadas. Para avaliação da distribuição de GOYA em sistema nervoso central (SNC) um modelo em insetos, utilizando gafanhotos foi aplicado. Nesse experimento os gafanhotos receberam a dose de 500 ?M de GOYA, e foram coletadas amostras de hemolinfa, fezes e cérebro nos tempos de 15 e 30 minutos, assim como amostras de gafanhoto total. Para determinação de GOYA nas amostras de gafanhoto um método quantitativo por UPLC-MS/MS e um método de geração de imagem por DESI-MSI foram desenvolvidos. Com os estudos de penetração cutânea pudemos concluir que MALDI-MSI foi capaz de confirmar a distribuição de minoxidil nas amostras de pele, no entanto, não se mostrou uma técnica eficaz para determinação de doxorrubicina. A técnica de MALDI-MSI, em adição ao método de UPLC-MS/MS foi capaz de revelar que o GOYA não penetrou na pele estando acumulado na sua camada superior, provavelmente no estrato córneo. Nos ensaios de distribuição em SNC foi possível observar através do método de UPLC-MS/MS que o GOYA está presente no cérebro, hemolinfa e fezes do gafanhoto. Com isso podemos concluir que o modelo utilizado é um bom modelo de predição de permeação a barreira-hematoencefálica, bem como para estudos de metabolismo. Conclui-se também que o método desenvolvido para essa finalidade foi adequado. A técnica de DESI-MS apesar de não gerar resultados positivos para permeação cerebral revelou a presença de GOYA no intestino do animal no tempo de 30 minutos, o que caracteriza uma rápida eliminação de GOYA do organismo / The Natural Products\' Chemistry has been the focus of the \"Núcleo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos\"(NPPNS) at School of Pharmaceuthical Science of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo (FCFRP- USP). NPPNS reported a variety of unknown molecules from Asteraceae family, highlighting the sesquiterpene lactones (STL). STL showed important pharmacological activities, such as antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, analgesic and trypanossomicide. The STL goyazensolide (GOYA) exhibit antitumor activity for skin and central nervous system (CNS) cancer cell lines . With that the research group saw in this class of compounds a chance to explore the antitumor potential as well as unveil its distribution and metabolism. For a better understanding of the distribution of this compound in the skin, the Franz cell in vitro model using ear pig skin was applied. For that, a MALDI-MSI method was developed to assess the distribution of GOYA in the skin, along with a UPLC-MS/MS method, to confirm the results. In order to develop and validate a MALDI-MSI method, doxorubicin and minoxidil, known substances in the cutaneous penetration studies, were used. An insect model with locust was applied for the investigation of GOYA distribution in CNS. The locust received a 500 ?M GOYA dose and hemolymph, brain and feces samples were collected in 15 and 30 minutes, as well as the entire locust. In order to assess GOYA in the locust samples, an UPLC-MS/MS method was developed, and for distribution in the entire locust a DESI-MSI was developed. The MALDI-MSI method developed for cutaneous penetration study was able to confirm the results for minoxidil experiments and allowed us to see the distribution of this compound in the skin. Unfortunately for doxorubicin MALDI-MSI by the is source analythe dissociation. The MALDI-MSI and the UPLC-MS/MS was able to show that GOYA does not permeate the skin, but is in the skin, probably interacting with the stratum corneum barrier. In the CNS studies we could see through the UPLC-MS/MS method that GOYA is present in the brain, hemolymph and feces in the in vivo model. With that we can conclude that the in vivo insect model is a good alternative for the metabolism and blood-brain-barrier studies. Also we can conclude that, although the DESI-MSI technique was not suitable for CNS permeation studies, it can be applied for metabolism studies, as it revealed the presence of GOYA in the intestine with a 30 minutes experiment, what characterizes a fast distribution and elimination of GOYA in the living organism

Nano-DESI Mass spectrometry imaging of eicosanoids in mouse kidney tissue using selected ion monitoring. Nano-DESI mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a technique for label-free spatial and molecular characterization of surfaces and biological samples. Eicosanoids are lipid mediators derived from eicosapolyenoic acid- products of arachidonic acid oxidation. Eicosanoids have been of interest to the medical field for many years. Major focus on this lipid class came from the development of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), some of these including aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen work by blocking either the formation or the effects of eicosanoids. These lipids also play important roles in various body functions (cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, neuronal) and as mediators of inflammation, asthma, fever, pain, hypertension, and stroke. Typically, eicosanoids occur in subnanomolar concentrations, despite their high level of bioactivity, which makes them significantly more difficult to analyze via direct mass spectrometry. Here, selected ion monitoring (SIM) is used to increase the signal-to-noise of the identified eicosanoids compared to a broadband full scan mode.

Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass spectrometry Imaging (DESI-MSI) is an area of great interest and a promising tool in the field of chemical imaging. It is a powerful, label-free technique, which can determine, map and visualize different molecular compounds on a sample surface. The amount of information acquired in a single DESI-MSI experiment is enormous compared to other techniques, as it can simultaneously detect different compounds with their spatial distribution on the surface. The experiment can be used to produce two-dimensional and three-dimensional images. Chapter 2 focuses on the design and optimization of the setup for performing DESI-MS imaging on various substrates. The proposed setup was tested for its lateral spatial resolution. To provide proof-of-concept of the design, preliminary tests were performed to generate images from commercial thin layer chromatographic plates and photographic paper. Chapter 3 focuses on demonstrating the compatibility of novel microfabricated Thin Layer Chromatography plates (M-TLC plates) for detection with DESI-MSI.

<div> Advancements in cancer treatments have increased rapidly in recent years, but cures remain elusive. Surgical tumor resection is a central treatment for many solid malignancies. Residual tumor at surgical margins leads to tumor recurrence. Novel tools for assessing residual tumor at surgical margins could improve surgical outcomes by helping to maximize the extent of resection. Ambient ionization-mass spectrometry (MS) methods generate and analyze ions from minimally prepared samples in near-real-time (e.g. seconds to minutes). These methods leverage the high sensitivity and specificity of mass spectrometry for analyzing gas phase ions and generating those ions quickly and with minimal sample preparation. Recent work has shown that differential profiles of ions, corresponding to phospholipids and small metabolites, are detected from cancerous and their respective normal tissue with ambient ionization-MS methods. When properly implemented, ambient ionization-MS could be used to assess for tumor at surgical margins and provide a molecular diagnosis during surgery. </div><div><br></div><div>The research herein reports efforts in developing rapid intraoperative ambient ionization-MS methods for the molecular assessment of cancerous tissues. Touch spray (TS) ionization and desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) were utilized to analyze kidney cancer and brain cancer.</div><div><br></div><div> As a demonstration of the applicability of TS-MS to provide diagnostic information from fresh surgical tissues, TS-MS was used to rapidly analyze renal cell carcinoma and healthy renal tissue biopsies obtained from human subjects undergoing nephrectomy surgery. Differential phospholipid profiles were identified using principal component analysis (PCA), and the significant ions were characterized using multiple stages of mass spectrometry and high resolution/exact mass MS. The same TS-MS analyzed renal tissues were subsequently analyzed with DESI-MS imaging to corroborate the TS-MS results, and the significant DESI-MS ions were also characterized with MS.</div><div><br></div><div>Significant efforts were made in developing and evaluating a standalone intraoperative DESI-MS system for analyzing brain tissue biopsies during brain tumor surgery. The intraoperative DESI-MS system consists of a linear trap quadrupole mass spectrometer placed on a custom-machined cart that contains all hardware for operating the mass spectrometer. This instrument was operated in the neurosurgical suites at Indiana University School of Medicine to rapidly analyze brain tissue biopsies obtained from glioma resection surgeries. A DESI-MS library of normal brain tissue and glioma was used to statistically classify the brain tissue biopsies collected in the operating room. Multivariate statistical methodologies were employed to predict the disease state and tumor cell percentage of the samples. A DESI-MS assay for detecting 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), the oncometabolic product of the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation (a key glioma prognostic marker), was developed and applied to determine the IDH mutation status during the surgical resection. The strengths, weaknesses, and areas of future work in this field are discussed. </div><div><br></div>