TCM components are complex with a wide polarity span; a single herb may simultaneously contain dozens to hundreds of compounds such as flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, organic acids, glycosides and volatile oils. The Neo-Source MSI DPI has no polarity bias, and in both positive and negative ion modes can newly detect more than a hundred secondary metabolites, with overall signal enhanced by 1–3 orders of magnitude, exactly fitting the 'full-polarity coverage' need of TCM.
A study published by Neo-Source with the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences used DESI/PI-MSI to reveal the cause of Zhusha spots in Baizhu (Atractylodes macrocephala), finding that m/z 183.0807 and m/z 301.2164 were strongly correlated with colored structures, suggesting that accumulation of certain polyynes and sesquiterpenes may be the cause (Molecular Horticulture, 2025).
DPI has demonstrated high detection sensitivity for various herbal and plant samples: theanine signal in tea leaf increased by 14.5x and caffeine by 61x; in Ginkgo, the DESI/PI mode added flavonoids, ginkgolic acid and cardanol; in sage, monoterpenes, diterpenes and triterpenes were newly detected. These are exactly the typical families of TCM 'active ingredients'.
MSI imprinting (pressing tissue onto a carrier before imaging) can characterize the chemical spatial heterogeneity of different leaf regions (vein vs blade, tip vs base) non-destructively and rapidly, providing molecular-level evidence for genuine-region herbs, organ-specific use and harvest-time selection.
One of the pain points of TCM quality control is 'same material with different effects, different materials with same appearance'. The spatial chemical fingerprint provided by MSI can distinguish component distribution differences among herbs of different origins, parts and processing methods, assisting in establishing more refined quality-control standards; for samples with colored spots, abnormal textures or suspected adulteration, imaging can locate abnormal ingredient enrichment regions.
The Neo-Source MSI DPI supports high-throughput rapid analysis and screening, listing 'Chinese medicinal materials, blood, natural products and drugs' as typical applicable objects; matrix-free and measure on demand allows pharmaceutical QC and testing staff to get started relatively quickly.
A single image gives a spatial map of ingredients; to explain 'why the distribution is so' requires combining transcriptomics, metabolic pathways and histology. For example, if an ingredient enriches at the leaf margin, transcriptomics can examine gene-expression differences in the corresponding region, forming an 'ingredient–gene–phenotype' closed loop.
Engineered, the two Neo-Source imaging sources are compatible with mainstream mass spectrometers from Agilent, AB SCIEX and Thermo; the section remains intact after imaging for continued H&E, leaving room for multi-omics integration.
To obtain detailed specifications, compatible models, or a quotation for the MSI LDPI / DPI full series imaging ion sources, visit the Neo-Source official website, or contact the official team for compatibility advice tailored to your mass spectrometer (Agilent / SCIEX / Thermo and other mainstream MS).