TY - CONF A1 - Traub, Heike T1 - Unraveling the interaction of MRI contrast agents with tissue using LA ICP MS N2 - Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is increasingly used to study the distribution of metal-containing drugs, imaging probes and nanomaterials in connection with disease related changes and therapy progress. Additionally, biomolecules can be detected indirectly by using metal-tagged antibodies. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is, besides the cells, an important component of all body tissues. The macromolecular network of the ECM consists of structural proteins (e.g., collagen, elastin) and proteoglycans composed of highly negatively charged carbohydrates, the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are covalently linked to a protein core. Many diseases, including inflammatory processes and tumors, are associated with characteristic ECM changes at an early stage. Recent studies have shown that contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which are based on gadolinium containing chelate complexes or iron oxide nanoparticles, can bind themselves to ECM components. To elucidate the role of GAGs like keratan sulfate (KS) and its modification state in disease, highly specific tools are necessary. As a complement to conventional immunohistochemistry LA-ICP-MS was applied to investigate the distribution of KS in tissue thin sections using a well characterized anti-KS antibody labelled with metal ions. Furthermore, LA-ICP-MS was used for the detection of MRI contrast agents and the identification of their target cells and molecules in tissue samples from animal models, e.g. for cardiovascular diseases. The results show the possibilities of LA-ICP-MS for the elucidation of pathological tissue changes. T2 - European Workshop on Laser Ablation (EWLA 2022) CY - Berne, Switzerland DA - 12.07.2022 KW - Laser ablation KW - Imaging KW - ICP-MS KW - Antibody PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55315 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Püschel, S. A1 - Liestmann, Z. A1 - Kalusniak, S. A1 - Kränkel, C. A1 - Schulz, Andreas A1 - Traub, Heike A1 - Tanaka, H. T1 - Impact of Ho3+, Er3+, and Tm3+ on laser cooling of Yb:YLF N2 - Ytterbium-doped LiYF4 (Yb:YLF) is a promising material for all-solid-state optical cryocoolers, but the impact of foreign rare-earth impurities on the laser-cooling performance is not completely understood. In particular, Tm3+ has been reported to reduce the background absorption. This study quantitatively assesses the impact of Ho3+, Tm3+, and Er3+ impurities on laser-cooling of Yb:YLF by anti-Stokes fluorescence. We grew five Yb(5%):YLF crystals intentionally doped with tens of ppm levels of these impurities. Laser-induced thermal modulation spectroscopy tests confirmed that these rare-earth impurities reduce the external quantum efficiency of Yb:YLF without affecting the background absorption coefficient. Although Er3+ is a well-known quencher for Yb3+, Er3+ co-doping only slightly decreases the laser-cooling efficiency at low pump intensities but becomes detrimental at high pump intensities (>5 kW cm−2). However, this detrimental effect diminishes at lower temperatures, as evidenced by cooling an Er3+ co-doped crystal to the same minimum temperature of 144K as a solely Yb3+-doped crystal. Contrary to previous reports, Tm3+ proved to be the most detrimental among the three impurities. KW - ICP KW - Laser cooling KW - Impurity KW - LiYF4 KW - Crystal PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.1364/OME.538215 VL - 14 IS - 10 SP - 2334 EP - 2348 PB - Optica Publishing Group CY - Washington DC, USA AN - OPUS4-61046 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Traub, Heike T1 - Laser Ablation ICP-ToF-MS to investigate the interaction of MRI contrast agents with extracellular matrix components N2 - Non-specific Gd-based contrast agents (GBCAs) have long been routinely used in clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the interaction of such contrast agents with tissue components is not yet fully understood. Alongside cells, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important component of mammalian tissue. It is a three-dimensional network of macromolecules that provides structural and biochemical support to the surrounding cells. Many diseases, including inflammation, fibrosis, and tumour invasion, are associated with characteristic ECM changes. The ECM consists of structural proteins (e.g., collagen, elastin) and proteoglycans, which are composed of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) covalently linked to a protein core. GAGs are long, linear polysaccharides consisting of repeated disaccharide units widely varying in molecular mass, disaccharide structure, and sulfation degree. Characteristic of GAGs is their ability to form complexes with cations such as lanthanides. Thus, GAGs could be a potential binding partner for GBCA molecules as a whole or for dechelated Gd. Currently, there are still many unanswered questions about the interaction of contrast agents with ECM components. This study therefore investigated the uptake and distribution of different GBCAs in spheroids that mimic biological tissue and have different ECM expressions. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and GAG-depleted CRL-2242 cells were used to prepare spheroids. These were then incubated for several minutes with gadolinium chloride and various linear and macrocyclic GBCAs. Cryosections of the spheroids were used for imaging measurements with a low-dispersion laser ablation system coupled to an inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LA/ICP-ToF-MS). Gelatine doped with multi-element solutions was used for matrix-matched quantification of Gd and other relevant elements such as Cu, Fe and Zn. Although all spheroids were incubated with identical Gd concentrations, significant differences in the amount of Gd taken up were observed. Gadolinium chloride is absorbed more strongly than the contrast agents and accumulates mainly in the outer regions of the spheroids. In contrast, after incubation with the linear and macrocyclic contrast agents, Gd is detected in the interior of both types of spheroids. T2 - European Workshop on Laser Ablation, EWLA 2024 CY - Ghent, Belgium DA - 02.07.2024 KW - ICP-MS KW - Laser ablation KW - Spheroid KW - Contrast agent PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60575 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Traub, Heike T1 - LA-ICP-MS investigation of the the interaction of MRI contrast agents with extracellular matrix components N2 - In clinical magnetic resonance imaging, non-specific Gd-based contrast agents (GBCAs) are frequently used to improve image quality. However, the interaction of GBCAs with tissue components is not yet fully understood. Many diseases, including inflammation, fibrosis, and tumor invasion, are associated with characteristic changes of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is a three-dimensional scaffold that embeds the cells of all mammalian tissues. It is composed of structural proteins (e.g., collagen, elastin) and proteoglycans, which consist of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) covalently bound to a protein core. GAGs are characterized by their ability to form complexes with cations such as lanthanides. Thus, GAGs could be a potential binding partner for GBCAs as a whole or for dechelated Gd. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA/ICP-ToF-MS) was used to investigate the uptake and distribution of different GBCAs in spheroids mimicking biological tissue and exhibiting different ECM expressions. Spheroids from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and GAG-depleted CRL-2242 cells were incubated with gadolinium chloride and various linear and macrocyclic GBCAs. Although all spheroids were exposed to identical Gd concentrations, differences in the amount of Gd taken up were observed. Gadolinium chloride is more strongly absorbed and accumulates mainly in the outer regions of the spheroids. In contrast, after incubation with linear and macrocyclic GBCAs, Gd is detected in the interior of both types of spheroids. Furthermore, differences in the Gd amount were found depending on the GBCA used. However, further studies are needed to elucidate such complex interactions, also using other (bio)analytical techniques. T2 - 2nd Annual Conference on Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Integrated Topics, IMSIS-2024 CY - Münster, Germany DA - 09.09.2024 KW - ICP-MS KW - Laser ablation KW - Contrast agent KW - Spheroid KW - Extracellular matrix PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61049 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hussein, S. A1 - Kühl, A. A. A1 - Golusda, L. A1 - Plattner, C. A1 - Heinze, N. A1 - Sturm, G. A1 - Freise, C. A1 - Traub, Heike A1 - Schannor, Mathias A1 - Trajanoski, Z. A1 - Taupitz, M. A1 - Siegmund, B. A1 - Paclik, D. T1 - Phenotype and function of human monocytes remain mainly unaffected by very small superparamagnetic iron oxide particles N2 - The field of medical application of organic or inorganic nanoparticles is extensive. Medical nanoparticles offer benefits but pose risks. For safe use in diagnostics and therapy, they should be inert, non-immunogenic, non-aggregating, and avoid long-term accumulation in sensitive tissues like bone marrow or the brain. We have developed in-house very small superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (VSOP), 7 nm in size, which have been successfully used in preclinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect intestinal inflammation, neuroinflammation and atherosclerosis. This study examines nanoparticle effects on human blood cells focusing on monocytes in vitro as a first step toward clinical application. Whole blood and monocytes from healthy donors and patients with inflammatory bowel disease were treated with VSOP in vitro and analyzed for changes in their transcriptome, phenotype and function. RNA sequencing of monocytes identified the transferrin receptor as one of the most significantly downregulated genes after VSOP treatment, likely to limit iron uptake. Whereas whole blood RNA sequencing showed significant changes only in three non-coding genes. CyTOF analysis confirmed that VSOP-treated monocytes remain inactive, with no increased proliferation or altered migration. Metabolically, VSOP uptake enhanced the oxygen consumption rate. This effect was likely due to phagocytosis rather than effects mediated by the VSOP itself, as phagocytosis of latex beads showed comparable results. In summary, the analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and monocytes suggests that VSOP treatment has no major impact on immune cell phenotype or function indicating VSOP as a promising diagnostic tool in MRI for inflammatory bowel disease. KW - Imaging KW - Nanoparticle KW - Monocytes KW - Contrast agent KW - Diagnostics KW - ICP-MS KW - LA-ICP-MS KW - VSOP PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-632012 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fnano.2025.1584000 SN - 2673-3013 VL - 7 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne AN - OPUS4-63201 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scharek, Vera M. A1 - Pfeifer, Jens A1 - Vogl, Jochen A1 - Traub, Heike A1 - Meermann, Björn T1 - Tin fractionation analysis in sediment samples via on-line ID ETV/ICP-MS N2 - We report a quantification approach for directly determining total tin and tin-based pollutants/species in sediments via electrothermal vaporization/inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ETV/ICP-MS) utilizing an on-line isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) approach. The method was developed and validated using an estuarine sediment reference material (BCR-277R), yielding a recovery of 106%. A relative standard deviation (RSD) of 14%, comparable to published data using a similar method, was obtained. A limit of quantification (LOQ) was estimated at 0.008 mg Sn kg−1 and sufficient for quantifying the total tin mass fraction of surface sediments along the tidal River Elbe course. Hereby, a decrease towards the river mouth, presumably due to dilution effects by less polluted marine sediment, was observed. Besides total tin, monitoring of organotin compounds (OTCs)/species is of interest in sediments due to their toxic effects on aquatic life. The method’s capability was extended by separating an OTC fraction in a sediment certified reference material (CRM) through the ETV temperature program. While spiking experiments with OTC standards confirmed the assignment, only a small fraction of the total certified OTC amount (3%), likely due to matrix effects, was recovered. However, applying the method to real-world samples, OTCs were detectable along the River Elbe course. By this, we demonstrated the potential of our method as a complementary fast-screening approach to species-specific analysis procedures. KW - ETV KW - Sn-Speciation KW - Sediment PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-640137 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-025-06064-y SN - 1618-2642 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-64013 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schannor, Mathias A1 - Oelze, Marcus A1 - Traub, Heike A1 - He, Yubei A1 - Schmidt, Robin A1 - Heidemann, Luisa A1 - Savic, Lynn Jeanette A1 - Vogl, Jochen A1 - Meermann, Björn T1 - Advancing Biomarker Research: In Situ Cu Isotope Analysis in Liver Tumors by LA-MC-ICP-MS N2 - Stable metal isotopes have received increasing attention as medical biomarkers due to their potential to detect changes in metal metabolism related to diseases. In particular, copper stable isotopes are a powerful tool to identify isotopic variation between tumors and healthy tissue, suggesting application in cancer diagnosis. However, potential mechanisms causing isotope fractionation, such as redox- or bond-forming reactions and interactions of metals during transmembrane import and export, are less well understood. Here, we established an in situ method using laser ablation-multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) to advance our understanding of the underlying processes responsible for isotope fractionation between normal and diseased tissues. Gelatin-based bracketing standards and quality control reference materials, crucial for laser ablation analysis, were developed to allow correction for instrumentally induced isotope fractionation during LA-MC-ICP-MS analysis. Using such matrix-matched standards, the method achieved intermediate precisions for delta values of better than 0.15 ‰ (2 s) for inorganic reference materials and of better than 0.17 ‰ (2 s) for biological reference materials. The developed routine was tested on rabbit VX2 liver tumor samples, a model system resembling human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) used to study liver cancer. In situ Cu isotope compositions between healthy (𝛿65/63NIST976(Cu) = −1.5 ‰ to 0.2 ‰) and tumorous (𝛿65/63NIST976(Cu) = 0.0 ‰ to 1.3 ‰) liver tissue show distinct differences in their isotope ratios. The observed isotopic dichotomy is consistent with previous solution-based MC-ICP-MS work, showing enrichment of heavy 65Cu in cancer biopsies relative to healthy tissue. KW - Biomarker KW - Laser Ablation KW - Reference Material PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-626865 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c05626 SN - 1520-6882 VL - 97 IS - 8 SP - 4425 EP - 4432 PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) AN - OPUS4-62686 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Löwa, N. A1 - Golusda, L. A1 - Paclik, D. A1 - Traub, Heike A1 - Schannor, Mathias A1 - Saatz, Jessica A1 - Freise, C. A1 - Taupitz, M. A1 - Siegmund, B. A1 - Kühl, A. A. A1 - Wiekhorst, F. T1 - Magnetic particle spectroscopy for Eu-VSOP quantification in intestinal inflammation: Distinguishing nanoparticle signals from dietary contamination N2 - Magnetic nanoparticles are gaining increasing attention as a promising alternative to gadolinium-based contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging, primarily due to their low toxicity. In this study, we investigated the use of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in mouse models of intestinal inflammation to assess their potential for detecting changes in the extracellular matrix. For magnetic quantification, we employed magnetic particle spectroscopy, which offers high sensitivity and minimal interference from biological tissue. However, we observed significant variations in magnetic signals within the intestine, as well as measurable signals in control animals, indicating possible magnetic contamination. By doping the nanoparticles with europium, we were able to confirm this suspicion through quantitative elemental analysis. Examination of mouse feed and feces allowed us to identify the source of contamination. Based on these findings, we developed a method to reliably distinguish genuine signals of magnetic nanoparticles from those caused by external magnetic contaminations. This approach is essential to ensure reliable results in future diagnostic and preclinical research. KW - ICP-MS KW - Nanoparticle KW - Magnetic particle spectroscopy KW - Quantification PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-642238 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5NA00452G SN - 2516-0230 IS - 00452 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-64223 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Traub, Heike T1 - Elemental mapping to study the interaction of MRI contrast agents with extracellular matrix components N2 - Non-specific Gd-based contrast agents (GBCAs) have long been routinely used in clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diagnostics. Nevertheless, the interaction of such contrast agents with tissue components is not yet fully understood. Typically, they go into extracellular space. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a three-dimensional network of macromolecules providing structural and biochemical support of the surrounding cells in all mammalian tissues. It is composed of structural proteins (e.g., collagen, elastin) and proteoglycans, which consist of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) covalently bound to a protein core. GAGs are long, linear polysaccharides composed of repeating disaccharide units that differ in molecular mass, disaccharide structure and degree of sulfation. Many diseases, including inflammation, fibrosis, and tumor invasion, are associated with characteristic ECM changes, especially at an early stage of disease development. As disease severity increases, the amount of one or more different GAG types in the ECM and the extent of GAG sulfation increases. Characteristic of GAGs is their ability to form complexes with cations, e.g., with lanthanides. Thus, GAGs could be a potential binding partner for GBCA molecules as a whole or for dechelated Gd. Currently, there are still many unanswered questions about the interaction of contrast agents with ECM components. In this study, therefore, the uptake and distribution of ionic Gd and various linear and macrocyclic GBCAs was investigated in spheroids as model systems mimicking the complex physiologically relevant tissue microenvironment. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and CRL-2242 cells, a CHO mutant that does not produce sulfated GAGs, were used to prepare spheroids. Afterwards the spheroids were incubated with gadolinium chloride and GBCAs. For elemental mapping laser ablation inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-TOFMS) and synchrotron radiation nano X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (syn-nanoXRF) were used. Although all spheroids were exposed to identical Gd concentrations, differences were observed in the spatial distribution and the amount of Gd taken up. After incubation with linear and macrocyclic GBCAs, Gd is detected in the interior of both types of spheroids. Furthermore, differences in the Gd amount were found depending on the GBCA used. In contrast, incubation with gadolinium chloride leads to an Gd enrichment in the outer regions of the spheroids as well as to much higher Gd contents compared to incubation with GBCAs. Both LA-ICP-TOFMS and syn-nanoXRF can make an important contribution to better understand the relationship between the affinity of GBCAs and ECM components. However, to elucidate such complex interactions, further studies are needed, also with other (bio-)analytical techniques. T2 - Euroanalysis 2025 CY - Barcelona, Spain DA - 31.08.2025 KW - ICP-MS KW - Laser ablation KW - Contrast agent KW - Spheroid KW - Extracellular matrix PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64143 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scharek, Vera M. A1 - Kröger, Tommy A1 - Keil, Karin A1 - Traub, Heike A1 - Meermann, Björn T1 - A new elemental analytical approach for microplastic sum parameter analysis—ETV/ICP-MS with CO2 N2 - Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive environmental pollutants and are considered one of the main challenges of our time. However, a fast and comprehensive analytical approach for MP analysis in complex matrices traceable to SI units is still lacking. In this context, we report a fast screening tool for the sum parameter analysis of MPs using electrothermal vaporization (ETV) coupled to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In our proof-of-concept study, we observed size-independent detection of MPs as peaks above the 13C+ signal background in the nano- to micrometer range without limitations regarding the polymer type. Quantification of the 13C+ MP signals was accomplished via an external gas calibration utilizing dynamic dilution of carbon dioxide with argon, yielding recovery rates of 80–96% for MP reference material (RM) of polymer types commonly found in the environment. The applicability to a soil sample was demonstrated through spiking experiments with a polyethylene (PE) MP RM in soil. The limit of detection (LOD) was estimated to be 0.13 µg C, equaling the detection of a single spherical low-density-PE particle of about 70 µm, and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.42 µg C. KW - ETV/ICP-MS KW - Mikroplastik KW - Summenparameter PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-646418 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-025-06146-x SN - 1618-2642 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ; Heidelberg AN - OPUS4-64641 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -