Localisation of corticosteroids in mouse kidney in hypertension using mass spectrometry imaging

Ioannis Stasinopoulos, University of Edinburgh

 

Aims

My over-arching PhD hypothesis is that glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid hormones have distinct roles in regulating fluid and electrolyte balance in the kidney and that these processes are disrupted in salt-sensitive hypertension. Molecular profiling of steroid receptors and metabolising enzymes suggests that steroid hormone action is compartmentalised within the kidney, however the regional steroid concentrations remain unknown, through difficulties in measurement. To understand how the kidney regulates salt balance and blood pressure, we need more refined approaches to map steroid within renal functional zones.

In years 1 and 2 of my PhD I have developed a method to image steroids in kidney sections using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry. I have established this technique allowing detection and quantitation of aldosterone and glucocorticoids to a resolution of 50 μm pixels across kidney sections. I have used the data to create the first maps of hormonal distribution within the kidney. COVID disrupted my project when I was preparing to apply the novel methodology to investigate the renal distribution of steroids in hypertension, my ultimate goal.

My aim is to map the distribution of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid hormones in kidney sections from a mouse model of salt-sensitive hypertension, thus completing my PhD goals.

 

Grant awarded: £4,968.00