Visualizing Cholesterol in the Brain by On-Tissue Derivatization and Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Imaging

Despite being a critical molecule in the brain, mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of cholesterol has been under-reported compared to other lipids due difficulty ionizing sterol molecule. In present work, we have employed an on-tissue enzyme-assisted derivatization strategy improve detection brain tissue sections. We report distribution and levels across specific structures mouse model Niemann-Pick type C1 disease, during development. MSI revealed that adult mouse, is highest pons medulla how its changes Cholesterol was significantly reduced corpus callosum regions Npc1 null confirming hypomyelination at molecular level. Our study demonstrates potential sterols neuroscience.