Figure 1.

Spatially resolved metabolic profiling of endogenous metabolites in thyroid tumors using AFADESI-MSI. (A) H&E stain image of one thyroid tumor section and microscopy-MSI overlaid image. The healthy adjacent thyroid tissue was composed of colloid-filled follicles, which were lined by normal follicular epithelial cells (N, normal follicular epithelial cell). The tumor region consisted of compact small follicles with neoplastic epithelial follicular cells (T, tumor cell). Collagen fibrils in mesh or bundles were seen in the stromal tissue (S, stromal cell). The fibrous stroma had epithelial follicular cells entrapped or attached to the surface (M, mixed stromal cells with tumor cells). (B–D) Representative mass spectra of different cell types (tumor cells, normal cells, and stromal cells), with an enlarged view of intratumor cytomorphology. (E,F) Average mass spectra of one benign thyroid tumor and one malignant tumor.