Optimizing Tissue Preparation and Storage for Analysis of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Using Agilent’s FT-IR Imaging Systems

Mammals require dietary-based polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and arachidonic acid (AA) for many biological processes, including normal functioning of the retina and brain. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) imaging with high spatial resolution is a suitable tool to investigate the PUFA distribution in tissue sections from animal models of disease, providing comprehensive information of the biochemical components on the subcellular scale.