Live-Cell Derivatization Enables High-Throughput Analysis of Thiols with CyESI-MS

Detecting thiol metabolites at the single-cell level is crucial for unraveling their roles in redox regulation and disease pathogenesis, but their detection is hindered by weak mass spectrometry (MS) signals and severe ion suppression due to their low abundance. Herein, we develop a live-cell derivatization strategy coupled with label-free mass cytometry (CyESI-MS) for sensitive and high-throughput analysis of thiols in single cells. Tetramethylrhodamine-5-maleimide (TAMRA-5-maleimide) was employed as the derivatization reagent, which can react specifically with thiols via its maleimide group, boost MS signal response through the rhodamine moiety, and exhibit good biocompatibility. Using this strategy combined with CyESI-MS, we successfully detected five thiol metabolites (GSH, Cys, Cys-Gly, hCys, and NCys) in single cells. The reliability of this method was further validated in multiple-cell application scenarios. By expanding single-cell coverage of low-abundance metabolites, this strategy holds promise for advancing redox biology and cancer research.