AUTHOR=Liu Pai , Wang Jie-Min , Guo Hao-Chuan , Zhao Meng-Wei , Song Yong-Xing , Guo Hui , Duan Xu-Hong , Yan Yu-Ping , Zheng Yu-Guang TITLE=In situ detection and mass spectrometry imaging of protein-related metabolites in Bombyx batryticatus before and after frying with wheat bran JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1144556 DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1144556 ISSN=1664-462X ABSTRACT=As a Chinese medicine, Bombyx Batryticatus has been used for thousands of years to treat convulsions, epilepsy, cough, asthma, headaches and purpura. In order to improve the quality and efficacy of Bombyx Batryticatus after frying with wheat bran, various methods have been developed to understand the intrinsic mechanisms of processed Bombyx Batryticatus. A matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) was applied to compare the spatial distribution and mass characteristics of protein-related metabolites from raw Bombyx Batryticatus (RBB) and fried Bombyx Batryticatus (FBB). After optimization of the experimental conditions, 21 ions were initially detected from Bombyx Batryticatus, including amino acids and peptides. The OPLS-DA results clarified 15 differential markers that were localized and visualized on cross sections of RBB and FBB. This method allows the visual identification and prediction of Bombyx Batryticatus before and after frying with wheat bran, as well as the study of amino acid and peptide changes from the perspective of chemometric analysis, providing a new idea for studying processed Bombyx Batryticatus.