LAUSR

The value of hair in forensic toxicology has already been widely demonstrated. It offers a much wider detection window than other matrices and its segmental analysis allows the documentation of a single, occasional or regular consumption of a large number of molecules. To date, considerable efforts are being made to achieve very high sensitivity using increasingly effective techniques in the forensic analysis of hair (GC-EI/MS, GC-CI/MS, GC-MS/MS, HPLC-MS/MS and UPLC-MS/MS). Since the early 2000s, work has been carried out to analyze hair using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) coupled with imaging mass spectrometry (IMS). Intact, cut or pulverized, human head hairs are analyzed in all their forms. With a simplified and rapid sample preparation protocol, MALDI-IMS appears to be an attractive option for the forensic interpretation of hair analysis. The high spatial resolution clearly competes with conventional methods and strand segmentation. This article provides a complete overview on MALDI techniques used and its applications to better understand the pre-analytical and the analytical parts in the hair analysis.