Application of MALDI-MS/MS in the vicenin-2 and derivatives analyses: Understanding the ionization processes to production of the images

Abstract

MALDI is commonly used for biomolecules analyses. Recently, it also is being employed for low molecular weight substances (until 1000 u) analyses, but it is necessary the development of this technique for such application and thus solving some inherent problems of this process. In this context, this proposal includes initial analysis of flavonoid vicenin-2 and its correlates by MALDI-MS and MS/MS, in order to develop a better procedure for these analyses. For understanding the ionization and fragmentation processes, these fragmentation patterns will be compared with other obtained from different techniques and the fragmentation mechanisms will be proposed. The MALDI Imaging will be used to produce images from plant and animal tissues and so the tissue distribution of vicenin-2 proposed. The analyses of animal tissues will contribute pharmacokinetic studies of vicenin-2, a study which is being developed in the thematic project " Desenvolvimento de uma Plataforma para o Estudo do Metabolismo in vivo e in vitro de Produtos Naturais, uma Necessidade para o Sistema de Ensaios Pré-Clínicos "(Process: 2009/51812-0) and the present project are included. Protocols for the analysis of flavonoids in plant tissues will be developed, including the preparation and cutting tissues, because such application is little exploited. Therefore, this proposal is at the knowledge frontier about this theme and so the combination of these two projects is justified, for the development of an innovative research and still emerging in the country.