Plant components span a wide polarity range; a single tissue 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 plants.
The matrix-free feature is especially critical: plant sections require no spraying of small-molecule matrix, avoiding matrix-peak interference in the low-mass region and eliminating cumbersome preparation, allowing 'seeing structure + seeing ingredients' to be completed smoothly on the same section.
DPI has demonstrated high detection sensitivity for various plant samples: in sage, monoterpenes, diterpenes and triterpenes were newly detected; in Ginkgo, the DESI/PI mode added flavonoids, ginkgolic acid and cardanol, with the mass spectrum showing secretory-cavity distribution; in tea leaf, theanine signal increased by 14.5x and caffeine by 61x, with significant differences between vein and blade regions; in tomato, carbamazepine (CBZ) and its transformation products mainly enriched at the leaf margin, at a concentration 2.3x that of the inner region (Environ. Sci. Technol., 2024).
MSI can characterize the chemical spatial heterogeneity of different microscopic leaf regions non-destructively and rapidly, providing molecular-level evidence for geo-authentic herbs, organ-specific use and harvest-time selection.
'Same material with different effects, different materials with same appearance' is the pain point of plant/herb quality control. The spatial chemical fingerprint provided by MSI can distinguish component distribution differences among samples 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; its matrix-free operation and on-demand measurement let testing staff begin using it 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. The two Neo-Source imaging sources keep the section intact after imaging for continued H&E or IHC, leaving room for multi-omics integration.
DPI is engineered to be compatible with mainstream mass spectrometers from Agilent, AB SCIEX and Thermo, with 20–200 μm adjustable resolution; LDPI provides 2–3 μm matrix-free ambient imaging. The two complement each other by resolution and polarity coverage, supporting plant spatial research from organ scale to single-cell scale.
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).