Matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) is an indispensable tool in modern lipid research since it is fast, sensitive, tolerates sample impurities and provides spectra without major analyte fragmentation.

We will discuss some methodological aspects, the related ion-forming processes and the MALDI MS characteristics of the different lipid classes (with the focus on glycerophospholipids) and the progress, which was achieved during the last ten years. Particular attention will be given to quantitative aspects of MALDI MS since this is widely considered as the most serious drawback of the method. Although the detailed role of the matrix is not yet completely understood, it will be explicitly shown that the careful choice of the matrix is crucial (besides the careful evaluation of the positive and negative ion mass spectra) in order to be able to detect all lipid classes of interest.

Two developments will be highlighted: spatially resolved Imaging MS is nowadays well established and the distribution of lipids in tissues merits increasing interest because lipids are readily detectable and represent ubiquitous compounds. It will also be shown that a combination of MALDI MS with thin-layer chromatography (TLC) enables a fast spatially resolved screening of an entire TLC plate which makes the method competitive with LC/MS.

基质辅助激光解吸和电离 (MALDI) 质谱 (MS) 是现代脂质研究中不可或缺的工具，因为它快速、灵敏、耐受样品杂质并提供没有主要分析物碎裂的光谱。

我们将讨论一些方法学方面、相关的离子形成过程和不同脂质类别（重点是甘油磷脂）的 MALDI MS 特征以及在过去十年中取得的进展。将特别关注 MALDI MS 的定量方面，因为这被广泛认为是该方法最严重的缺点。尽管尚未完全了解基质的详细作用，但将明确表明，仔细选择基质是至关重要的（除了仔细评估正离子和负离子质谱），以便能够检测所有脂质感兴趣的课程。

将重点介绍两个发展：空间分辨成像 MS 现在已经得到很好的建立，组织中脂质的分布值得越来越多的关注，因为脂质很容易检测到并且代表普遍存在的化合物。还将表明，MALDI MS 与薄层色谱 (TLC) 的组合能够对整个 TLC 板进行快速空间分辨筛选，这使得该方法与 LC/MS 具有竞争力。