Application of secondary ion and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the quantitative analysis of biological molecules

This review primarily focuses on the current status Of two solid-state mass spectrometric (MS) techniques, namely, static secondary-ion (SIMS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry, as applied to the quantification of biological materials. Although a number of articles have appeared in the literature for both SIMS and MALDI quantitative analysis, neither field has been extensively researched nor currently used in general practice. However, several results are very exciting and offer advantages over conventional methods. The abilities and limitations of MALDI and SIMS for quantitative analysis of biological molecules will be discussed at the fundamental and applied level. Use of an internal standard approach, development of instrumental protocols, and sample preparation will be examined in detail. Various examples demonstrating the feasibility of quantitative analysis by MALDI and SIMS, including quantification of in vivo and in vitro metabolism of drugs in real biological matrices, will be reviewed. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.