There is a pressing need to develop tools for assessing possible neurotoxicity, particularly for chemicals where the mode of action is poorly understood. Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a highly abundant brominated flame retardant, has lately been targeted for neurotoxicity analysis by concerned public health entities in the EU and USA because it is a suspected thyroid disruptor and neurotoxicant. In this study, infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (IR-MALDESI) coupled to a Q Exactive Plus mass spectrometer was used for the analysis of neurotransmitters in the brains of rats exposed to TBBPA in gestation and lactation through their mothers. Three neurotransmitters of interest were studied in three selected regions of the brain: caudate putamen, substantia nigra (SN), and dorsal raphe. Stable isotope labeled (SIL) standards were used as internal standards and a means to achieve relative quantification. This study serves as a demonstration of a new application of IR-MALDESI, namely that neurotransmitter distributions can be confidently and rapidly imaged without derivatization.

迫切需要开发评估可能的神经毒性的工具，特别是对于作用方式知之甚少的化学品。四溴双酚 A (TBBPA) 是一种含量丰富的溴化阻燃剂，最近已成为欧盟和美国相关公共卫生实体进行神经毒性分析的目标，因为它被怀疑是一种甲状腺干扰物和神经毒物。在这项研究中，红外基质辅助激光解吸电喷雾电离 (IR-MALDESI) 与 Q Exactive Plus 质谱仪联用，用于分析在妊娠和哺乳期通过母亲暴露于 TBBPA 的大鼠大脑中的神经递质。研究人员在大脑的三个选定区域研究了三种感兴趣的神经递质：尾壳核、黑质（SN）和中缝背侧。稳定同位素标记 (SIL) 标准品用作内标和实现相对定量的方法。这项研究证明了 IR-MALDESI 的新应用，即无需衍生化即可自信且快速地对神经递质分布进行成像。