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We have studied the binding of the toxic element Cd to plant proteins and have used for this purpose spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) plants treated with 50 µM Cd(II) as a model system. Laser ablation ICP-MS has been applied for the screening of Cd-binding proteins after separation by native anodal polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (AN-PAGE) and electroblotting onto membranes. The main Cd-carrying protein band was isolated and investigated by nano-electrospray ionizationFourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry after tryptic digestion. By this procedure, the main Cd-binding protein was identified as ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO). The latter enzyme has been discussed in the literature to be affected in its activity by oxidative stress induced by Cd. However, in this paper it is demonstrated for the first time that RuBisCO directly binds Cd and thus may be directly altered by this toxic element. A commercially available protein standard was used to verify direct binding of Cd(II) to the protein, even without metabolisation. The resulting metalprotein complex was shown to be stable enough to survive AN-PAGE separation and electroblotting. By the use of size exclusion chromatography coupled with ICP-MS it was demonstrated that the RuBisCO protein standard shows similar metal binding properties to Cd. Furthermore, essential elements such as Mn(II), Fe(II) and Cu(II), which are known to possibly replace the RuBisCO activator Mg(II), were investigated in addition to Zn(II). Again, similar binding properties in comparison to the plant protein were observed.
LA-ICP-MS an new tool for development of methods for imaging of biological and clinical samples
(2012)
We have developed lanthanide labeling strategies for antibodies to adapt conventional biochemical workflows like Western blot immunoassays for detection by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis with a special interest to apply the multi-element capabilities of ICP-MS for the design of multiplexed immunoassays. In this paper the lanthanide labeling of antibodies with MeCAT was investigated and the reaction conditions were optimized for application in a Western blot immunoassay analyzed by LA-ICP-MS. Furthermore, the MeCAT labeling strategy was compared with two other commercially available labeling reagents, MAXPAR and SCN-DOTA. As a proof-of-principle experiment chemically induced alterations of cytochrome P450 protein expression were investigated and the suitability of the differentially labeled antibodies for Western blot immunoassays of a complex liver microsomal protein fraction was tested. Limits of detection (LODs) in the lower fmol range were reached in the Western blot application using MeCAT and MAXPAR as element labeling reagents, whereas even sub-fmol LODs can be achieved in a dot blot experiment for the pure antibodies.
The paper presents a new multi-parametric protein microarray embracing the multi-analyte capabilities of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The combination of high throughput reverse phase protein microarrays with element tagged antibodies and LA-ICP-MS makes it possible to detect and quantify many proteins or biomarkers in multiple samples simultaneously. A proof of concept experiment is performed for the analysis of cytochromes particularly of cytochrome P450 enzymes, which play an important role in the metabolism of xenobiotics such as toxicants and drugs. With the aid of the LA-ICP-MS based multi-parametric reverse phase protein microarray it was possible to analyse 8 cytochromes in 14 different proteomes in one run. The methodology shows excellent detection limits in the lower amol range and a very good linearity of R² ≥ 0.9996 which is a prerequisite for the development of further quantification strategies.
For the study of bladder cancer and the identification of respective tumor markers, blood and, in particular, urine constitute suitable sources of biological material, while both harboring their specific challenges for analytics concerning low-abundance biomarkers. Dissolved proteins and nucleic acids as well as cells and cell-bound molecules can be the analytes. In urine, exfoliated bladder tumor cells have to be identified and in blood, circulating tumor cells have to be detected among huge amounts of other cells. For the detection of both low-abundance cells and molecules, their specific enrichment prior to analysis is advantageous or even necessary. Adapted methods for the analysis of proteomes and subproteomes by 2D-gel electrophoresis, multidimensional chromatography and antibody arrays are discussed. Analysis of nucleic acid-based markers exploits the high amplification power of PCR and modified PCR combined with previous (subtransciptomes) or subsequent (microarray) enrichment to sensitively and specifically detect markers. DNA mutations, DNA-methylation status and apoptotic DNA fragments, as well as levels of ribonucleic acids including microRNAs, can be analyzed by means of these methods. Finally, the challenge of identifying circulating tumor cells and assigning them to their original tissue is critically discussed.
Analytische Chemie 2008/2009
(2010)
A huge number of functions and reactions can be performed by proteins merely based on their amino acids and their spatial arrangement which results in a specific geometric and electronic environment. The diversity and efficiency of functions, however, can be increased by protein-bound cofactors which fulfil their task in close interaction with the surrounding amino acid side chains. Among these cofactors, metals play an important role. They can be bound to proteins directly via specific amino acids such as cysteine and histidine, for example in zinc finger proteins or in iron sulfur cluster proteins. Another possibility is their integration into the 3D-structure of a protein via a prosthetic group. Porphyrine or porphyrine-like molecules with copper or iron as central bound metal ions constitute important structures in this respect.
Neue Anwendungen der anorganischen Massenspektrometrie in den Lebens- und Materialwissenschaften
(2011)
A method for the analysis of Pt–protein complexes in biological samples, previously subjected to cisplatin treatment, has been developed. Proteins were separated by gel electrophoresis, and those bound to Pt were detected with high sensitivity by LA-ICP-(SF)-MS. Pt-containing spots were in-gel digested with trypsin, and the peptides produced identified using nHPLC-ESI-LTQ-FT-MS/MS. The influence of protein separation conditions, staining and gel processing prior to laser ablation on Ptprotein bonds preservation have been evaluated using standard proteins incubated with cisplatin. 2-DE separation under non-reducing conditions followed by either Coomassie blue brilliant or silver staining is appropriate for Pt–protein complexes, achieving a good separating resolution of the proteins in biological samples. Direct LA-ICP-MS analysis of glycerol-treated dried gels for Pt–protein monitoring resulted in better sensitivity, more reliable relative Pt signals and a simpler and less time-consuming approach compared to the analysis of blotted membranes. Ablation of gels allowed tackling protein identification of Pt-spots in the remaining non-ablated material in the gel, making it unnecessary to run several gels in parallel for separate Pt detection and protein identification. By using this approach, Pt coordinated to proteins, such as α-2-macroglobulin, transferrin, albumin or hemoglobin, was detected in the serum from a rat treated in vivo with cisplatin after nrSDS-PAGE separation. Furthermore, the first complete LA-ICP-MS metalloprotein contour map in a 2-DE gel has been produced, in this case for the detection of Pt–protein complexes in renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (RPTECs) incubated with cisplatin. Several proteins were identified in those spots containing Pt, which may have a connection with the drug-induced nephrotoxicity mainly affecting this cell type in the kidney.
Future challenges for ICP-MS
(2013)
Speciation and imaging of Gd containing MRI contrast agents in environmental samples by ICP-MS
(2015)
Imuno-histochemical staining (IHC) of cancer biomarker on tissue sections is one of the most important analytical techniques for cancer diagnosis although standardization and quality management is tedious and differ significantly from clinic to clinic. Combining established IHC staining strategies with modern quantitative methods would increase it`s potential. We used element mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and a new ink-jet printed internal standardization approach in combination with IHC staining. The printing strategy was utilized to improve elemental image resolution and reproducibility of paraffin embedded breast cancer tissue sections in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) after conventional IHC staining as a model system to investigate the new capabilities of this technique.
Future challenges for ICP-MS
(2013)
An immunohistochemical method is described to visualize the distribution of metallothioneins 1/2 (MT 1/2) and metallothionein 3 (MT 3) in human ocular tissue. It is making use of (a) antibodies conjugated to gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) acting as labels, and (b) laser ablation (LA) coupled to inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).Water-soluble fluorescent AuNCs (with an average size of 2.7 nm) were synthesized and then conjugated to antibody by carbodiimide coupling. The surface of the modified AuNCs was then blocked with hydroxylamine to avoid nonspecific interactions with biological tissue. Immunoassays for MT 1/2 and MT 3 in ocular tissue sections (5 μm thick) from two post mortem human donors were performed. Imaging studies were then performed by fluorescence using confocal microscopy, and LA-ICP-MS was performed in the retina to measure the signal for gold. Signal amplification by the >500 gold atoms in each nanocluster allowed the antigens (MT 1/2 and MT 3) to be imaged by LA-ICP-MS using a laser spot size as small as 4 μm. The image patterns found in retina are in good agreement with those obtained by conventional fluorescence immunohistochemistry which was used as an established reference method.
Heritage Lecture
(2018)
After finishing my diploma thesis in plasma physics in 1981, I dreamt of a future in a research lab to develop novel fusion reactors for energy production or to study universal plasmas and their emission in the cosmos. This dream never became real, however I found my first job in a team to build up a new museum dedicated to “Energy”, and this first part of my career was already finished after a year, because the funding was not extended. So, I found immediately a new job as a young scientist in the institute for analytical sciences (originally ISAS: Institute for Plasmachemistry and Applied Spectroscopy) in 1982 to develop novel plasma ion sources for inorganic mass spectrometry. The first source of interest was based on a glow discharge for direct analysis of conducting solids (technically supported by Finnigan MAT, Bremen). Here I adopted the design of the Grimm type discharge for the first time, which was well known in optical emission spectroscopy, and coupled it to a quadrupole mass analyzer. The advantage of this design was that flat craters are produced by sputtering which made this source very powerful for in-depth analysis of technical layers. This then became the topic of my PhD, which was not originally planned, and I had to learn a lot about surface analysis. However, since the first project was too successful we established a small team (in cooperation with Jose Broekaert - an expert in ICP-OES) which started with the development of our own inductively coupled plasma ion source in 1986 coupled to a quadrupole and in 1989 to a sector field mass spectrometer (funded by the Minister of Science and Technology; again in cooperation with Finnigan MAT). The latter device was launched to the market in 1993 as the Element 1.
The second decade of my career was still related to instrumental development but mainly of glow discharge sources. In an EU funded project first an automated glow discharge sector field instrument was developed where the Grimm type geometry was combined with a fast flow concept (in cooperation with Volker Hoffmann at IFW in Dresden). This was done in cooperation with VG (which became later a part of Thermo Fisher Scientific together with Finnigan MAT), so that it is not surprising that this concept for the Element GD. This project was later continued in the third phase of my career, again funded by the EU and in cooperation with the group of Alfredo Sanz-Medel (Rosario Pereiro and Jorge Pisonero), to develop a fast flow, but now rf-powered GD ion source in combination with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, which was later launched to the market commercially by Horiba Jobin Yvon (France) for in-depth profiling of thin layers even of non-conducting materials.
In the first decade of my career I started to study already “analytical chemistry” from the scratch because the instruments developed have been applied now for direct analysis of solid materials, technical layers and environmental samples. In case of environmental applications our ICP-MS (the quadrupole and the sector field instrument) was coupled with separation techniques, so that this period of instrumental development was dominated in the second decade by development of high efficiency sample introduction systems in combination with speciation studies of Pt group elements, arsenic, selenium and phosphorus (in DNA and phosphorylated proteins), Ni and Cr. Additionally, we continued with the analysis of solid ceramic materials (Al2O3, SiC, SiN) and ambient air-born particles. At the end of the second decade we complemented our instrumental pool by a collision and reaction cell instrument in cooperation with Micromass and used this instrument for speciation studies of peptides and proteins and demonstrated that by ICP-HEX-MS quantitative proteomics is feasible. Therefore, we more and more focused in the following years on metalloproteins and published a famous paper on “Metallobiomolecules: The basis of life, the challenge of atomic spectroscopy” (together with Luc Moens and Ryszard Lobinski). For detection of metalloproteins we applied typical workflows of biochemistry and proteomics, for which I had to extend my knowledge about biochemistry and proteomics. As a new analytical tool, we used a homemade laser ablation cell for sample introduction of metalloproteins after their separation by gel electrophoresis and extended this work by applying metal-tagging of antibodies for Western blot assays. For this purpose, proteins were separated in SDS-PAGE and electroblotted onto membranes. Specific detection of proteins even not containing any metal could be performed by laser ablation ICP-MS using the metal tagged antibodies for indirect detection. This research was interrupted in 2009 by a movement from ISAS (where atomic spectroscopy was declining) to BAM (the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin) where this research direction was fostered. The experience we achieved at ISAS in the previously mentioned projects were now used here at BAM in the fourth decade for materials research and the development of a quantitative elemental microscope with cellular resolution. So, at the end of my career I am trying to apply all my knowledge and expertise to develop analytical methods and to apply multimodal spectroscopies to decipher the construction code of the cellular machinery, which is the most precise and complex machinery I have ever seen. If we were able to understand how this machinery works, we can better diagnose and treat a malfunction in case of the development of a disease.
Finally, I can conclude that lifelong learning starts before school but does not end at the end of this lecture. It looks like this heritage lecture will be focused on my career only, but this is not the case because some highlights of my career will be used to illustrate a few universal principles: how to have fun, how to find friends and how this all leads to an increase of joy and joy is the basis of new ideas (which must not always be related to your profession) and novel ideas are essential for a successful and satisfying career. So, this heritage lecture wants to answer the most important question of a life which was dedicated to plasma spectrochemistry:
1) Is it possible - at all - to have fun in this research direction?
2) Can we learn already today what we need tomorrow?
3) How can we still realize our scientific dreams of cutting edge research in times of cutting budgets? Which automatically leads to the next question:
4) Is necessity the mother of invention?
All questions will be answered! Controversial discussions (for angry or disappointed colleagues) will be stimulated and my visions of future research (for students and postdocs) and instrumental developments (for manufacturer) will be presented. Finally, conclusions will be drawn by the auditorium (everybody) and thanks will be given to Ramon Barnes (by me) already in advance!
Heritage Lecture
(2018)
After finishing my diploma thesis in plasma physics in 1981, I dreamt of a future in a research lab to develop novel fusion reactors for energy production or to study universal plasmas and their emission in the cosmos. This dream never became real, however I found my first job in a team to build up a new museum dedicated to “Energy”, and this first part of my career was already finished after a year, because the funding was not extended. So, I found immediately a new job as a young scientist in the institute for analytical sciences (originally ISAS: Institute for Plasmachemistry and Applied Spectroscopy) in 1982 to develop novel plasma ion sources for inorganic mass spectrometry. The first source of interest was based on a glow discharge for direct analysis of conducting solids (technically supported by Finnigan MAT, Bremen). Here I adopted the design of the Grimm type discharge for the first time, which was well known in optical emission spectroscopy, and coupled it to a quadrupole mass analyzer. The advantage of this design was that flat craters are produced by sputtering which made this source very powerful for in-depth analysis of technical layers. This then became the topic of my PhD, which was not originally planned, and I had to learn a lot about surface analysis. However, since the first project was too successful we established a small team (in cooperation with Jose Broekaert - an expert in ICP-OES) which started with the development of our own inductively coupled plasma ion source in 1986 coupled to a quadrupole and in 1989 to a sector field mass spectrometer (funded by the Minister of Science and Technology; again in cooperation with Finnigan MAT). The latter device was launched to the market in 1993 as the Element 1.
The second decade of my career was still related to instrumental development but mainly of glow discharge sources. In an EU funded project first an automated glow discharge sector field instrument was developed where the Grimm type geometry was combined with a fast flow concept (in cooperation with Volker Hoffmann at IFW in Dresden). This was done in cooperation with VG (which became later a part of Thermo Fisher Scientific together with Finnigan MAT), so that it is not surprising that this concept for the Element GD. This project was later continued in the third phase of my career, again funded by the EU and in cooperation with the group of Alfredo Sanz-Medel (Rosario Pereiro and Jorge Pisonero), to develop a fast flow, but now rf-powered GD ion source in combination with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, which was later launched to the market commercially by Horiba Jobin Yvon (France) for in-depth profiling of thin layers even of non-conducting materials.
In the first decade of my career I started to study already “analytical chemistry” from the scratch because the instruments developed have been applied now for direct analysis of solid materials, technical layers and environmental samples. In case of environmental applications our ICP-MS (the quadrupole and the sector field instrument) was coupled with separation techniques, so that this period of instrumental development was dominated in the second decade by development of high efficiency sample introduction systems in combination with speciation studies of Pt group elements, arsenic, selenium and phosphorus (in DNA and phosphorylated proteins), Ni and Cr. Additionally, we continued with the analysis of solid ceramic materials (Al2O3, SiC, SiN) and ambient air-born particles. At the end of the second decade we complemented our instrumental pool by a collision and reaction cell instrument in cooperation with Micromass and used this instrument for speciation studies of peptides and proteins and demonstrated that by ICP-HEX-MS quantitative proteomics is feasible. Therefore, we more and more focused in the following years on metalloproteins and published a famous paper on “Metallobiomolecules: The basis of life, the challenge of atomic spectroscopy” (together with Luc Moens and Ryszard Lobinski). For detection of metalloproteins we applied typical workflows of biochemistry and proteomics, for which I had to extend my knowledge about biochemistry and proteomics. As a new analytical tool, we used a homemade laser ablation cell for sample introduction of metalloproteins after their separation by gel electrophoresis and extended this work by applying metal-tagging of antibodies for Western blot assays. For this purpose, proteins were separated in SDS-PAGE and electroblotted onto membranes. Specific detection of proteins even not containing any metal could be performed by laser ablation ICP-MS using the metal tagged antibodies for indirect detection. This research was interrupted in 2009 by a movement from ISAS (where atomic spectroscopy was declining) to BAM (the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin) where this research direction was fostered. The experience we achieved at ISAS in the previously mentioned projects were now used here at BAM in the fourth decade for materials research and the development of a quantitative elemental microscope with cellular resolution. So, at the end of my career I am trying to apply all my knowledge and expertise to develop analytical methods and to apply multimodal spectroscopies to decipher the construction code of the cellular machinery, which is the most precise and complex machinery I have ever seen. If we were able to understand how this machinery works, we can better diagnose and treat a malfunction in case of the development of a disease.
Finally, I can conclude that lifelong learning starts before school but does not end at the end of this lecture. It looks like this heritage lecture will be focused on my career only, but this is not the case because some highlights of my career will be used to illustrate a few universal principles: how to have fun, how to find friends and how this all leads to an increase of joy and joy is the basis of new ideas (which must not always be related to your profession) and novel ideas are essential for a successful and satisfying career. So, this heritage lecture wants to answer the most important question of a life which was dedicated to plasma spectrochemistry:
1) Is it possible - at all - to have fun in this research direction?
2) Can we learn already today what we need tomorrow?
3) How can we still realize our scientific dreams of cutting edge research in times of cutting budgets? Which automatically leads to the next question:
4) Is necessity the mother of invention?
All questions will be answered! Controversial discussions (for angry or disappointed colleagues) will be stimulated and my visions of future research (for students and postdocs) and instrumental developments (for manufacturer) will be presented. Finally, conclusions will be drawn by the auditorium (everybody) and thanks will be given to Ramon Barnes (by me) already in advance!
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), have a high scientific and commercial impact due to their important antibacterial properties. However, there are serious concerns about their toxicological adverse effects as a consequence of their broad range of applications. Particularly, the impact of AgNPs on cells is not very well understood yet and there is a current demand to develop analytical methodologies providing information about the interaction and distribution of AgNPs at a single cell level. In this research, mass cytometry was used to introduce a new quantitative approach to study the uptake of AgNPs by individual THP-1 macrophages as a cell model system. Here, we show that this methodology provides not only multi-variate phenotypic information of individual cells but enables the quantitative analysis of AgNPs associated to cells in a single measurement by performing an external calibration using AgNPs suspension. Using differentiated THP-1 cells, we monitored and quantified the uptake of 50 nm AgNPs in a time and dose-dependent manner by mass cytometry. 7 to 120 AgNPs per cell (2 to 89 fg Ag/cell) were determined after exposure of differentiated THP-1 cells to low AgNPs concentrations of 0.1 and 1.0 mg L-1, at time points of 4 and 24 h. The results were validated by mass cytometric analysis of digested cells working as a conventional inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, ICP-MS. This study demonstrates the power of single cell analysis by mass cytometry even for low doses experiments as a new analytical tool for hitherto unaddressed questions in nanotoxicology.
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), have a high scientific and commercial impact due to their important antibacterial properties. However, there are serious concerns about their toxicological adverse effects as a consequence of their broad range of applications. Particularly, the impact of AgNPs on cells is not very well understood yet and there is a current demand to develop analytical methodologies providing information about the interaction and distribution of AgNPs at a single cell level. In this research, mass cytometry was used to introduce a new quantitative approach to study the uptake of AgNPs by individual THP-1 macrophages as a cell model system. Here, we show that this methodology provides not only multi-variate phenotypic information of individual cells but enables the quantitative analysis of AgNPs associated to cells in a single measurement by performing an external calibration using AgNPs suspension. Using differentiated THP-1 cells, we monitored and quantified the uptake of 50 nm AgNPs in a time and dose-dependent manner by mass cytometry. 7 to 120 AgNPs per cell (2 to 89 fg Ag/cell) were determined after exposure of differentiated THP-1 cells to low AgNPs concentrations of 0.1 and 1.0 mg L-1, at time points of 4 and 24 h. The results were validated by mass cytometric analysis of digested cells working as a conventional inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, ICP-MS. This study demonstrates the power of single cell analysis by mass cytometry even for low doses experiments as a new analytical tool for hitherto unaddressed questions in nanotoxicology.
Development and market introduction of new nanomaterials trigger the need for an adequate risk assessment of such products alongside suitable risk communication measures. Current application of classical and new nanomaterials is analyzed in context of regulatory requirements and standardization for chemicals, food and consumer products. The challenges of nanomaterial characterization as the main bottleneck of risk assessment and regulation are presented. In some areas, e.g., quantification of nanomaterials within complex matrices, the establishment and adaptation of analytical techniques such as laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and others are potentially suited to meet the requirements. As an example, we here provide an approach for the reliable characterization of human exposure to nanomaterials resulting from food packaging. Furthermore, results of nanomaterial toxicity and ecotoxicity testing are discussed, with concluding key criteria such as solubility and fiber rigidity as important parameters to be considered in material development and regulation. Although an analysis of the public opinion has revealed a distinguished rating depending on the particular field of application, a rather positive perception of nanotechnology could be ascertained for the German public in general. An improvement of material characterization in both toxicological testing as well as end-product control was concluded as being the main obstacle to ensure not only safe use of materials, but also wide acceptance of this and any novel technology in the general public.
Single-cell analysis by ICP-MS/MS as a fast tool for cellular bioavailability studies of arsenite
(2018)
Single-cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SC-ICP-MS) has become a powerful and fast tool to evaluate the elemental composition at a single-cell level. In this study, the cellular bioavailability of arsenite (incubation of 25 and 50 μM for 0-48 h) has been successfully assessed by SC-ICP-MS/MS for the first time directly after re-suspending the cells in water. This procedure avoids the normally arising cell membrane permeabilization caused by cell fixation methods (e.g. methanol fixation). The reliability and feasibility of this SC-ICP-MS/MS approach with a limit of detection of 0.35 fg per cell was validated by conventional bulk ICP-MS/MS analysis after cell digestion and parallel measurement of sulfur and phosphorus.
We are using LA-ICP-MS to quantify metals in biological cells and thin cuts of tissues from varies organs. Different applications will be presented to demonstrate the state of the art of bioimaging to visualize the elemental distribution pattern in soft bio-materials (tissue, single cells) of metals, metal containing stains and metal-tagged antibodies. For this purpose, different strategies for metal tagging will be presented and will be compared in terms of analytical figures of merit. First applications for detection of biomarkers in animal and human tissue samples will be presented.
In a first example, we have applied LA-ICP-MS to visualize the local distribution of proteins, which are used as bio-markers for neurodegenerative diseases. For this purpose, brain tissues from mice experiments have been stained by metal-tagged antibodies. House-keeping proteins have been investigated as internal cellular standards. Additionally, ink-jet printing of metal doped inks onto the surface of tissue samples has been applied for drift corrections and quantification. Validation of our results are achieved in comparison to immune-histochemical staining and optical microscopy.
In a second example, we used specific metal-tagged antibodies for detection of biomarker specific for prostate cancer. For this purpose, micro tissue arrays are incubated with metal-tagged antibodies for bioimaging of samples from many patients using simultaneous detection of all relevant biomarkers and their tags.
For improvement of sensitivity in the next example application nanoparticle tagged antibodies for detection of metallothionines in eye lens tissue samples will be discussed.
Recently we have used our tagging and staining strategies to determine the cell cycle of single cells, which is of future interest for toxicological studies.
Finally, future trends in elemental microscopy and mass cytometry imaging will be discussed.
Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimen from biopsy materials are a widespread sample format for pathologists and medical researchers. Pathologists are archiving vast numbers of FFPE samples which can be stored for decades. Conventional immunohistochemical staining (IHC) of biomarkers on FFPE tissue sections is one of the most important analytical techniques for cancer diagnosis and pathology in general. However standardization for IHC samples and quality management is tedious and differs significantly from clinic to clinic. Combining established IHC staining strategies with modern mass spectrometry mediated methods would increase it`s potential and enable access of large FFPE archives for multiplexed quantitation purposes. In this work element mass spectrometry and a new ink-jet printed internal standardization approach was successfully combined with IHC staining to facilitate quantitative multiplex assays for archived FFPE samples. The printing strategy improves elemental image resolution and reproducibility of paraffin embedded breast cancer tissue sections in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) using conventional IHC staining as a model system to investigate the new capabilities of this technique. For the internal standardization we applied a conventional CD-ink-jet printer to print a metal spiked ink onto the top of thin layer tissue sections with constant density. Printing was carried out in a direct comparison to an iodination of the tissue section as previously described as an alternative standardization method. The use of the printed internal standard allowed correction of the fluctuation during the laser ablation process and compensated instrumental drift effects. Mediated by the ink correction approach we achieved better signal-to-background-ratios (SBR) of 74 and better spatial resolution of 30 µm compared to iodination (SBR=23). This improved performance was demonstrated on tumorous areas in FFPE breast cancer tissue sections and allowing detection of Her-2 in tumorous areas of this tissue with significantly improved contrast.
Technical background
(2015)
The major components of sector field instruments can be listed as follows and will be described in more detail in the following chapter. (Specific details for the different types of instruments will be given in the corresponding instrumental sections in Chapters 11-17.) The general principle of all mass spectrometers follows ionisation after sample introduction, Separation of the ions according to their mlz ratio and final detection at the detection unit. The transport and Separation of ions follow the principles of ion optics.
This lecture is an introduction to ICP-MS with a double focusing magnetic sector mass analyzer. It offers fundamental background, a thorough discussion of analytical features, and state of the art information on applications. Different types of double focusing instruments also are considered. Specific topics include fundamental aspects of ICP-MS (physical properties of a double focusing instrument, operational characteristics in comparison with quadrupole instruments); analytical characteristics (spectral and non-spectral interferences, figures of merit in low and high resolution modes, blanks and memory effects, HPLC and GC interfaces), and applications (industrial including ultra-pure reagents and alloys, environmental, geological, and biomedical materials).
Multifunctional composite nanoprobes consisting of iron oxide nanoparticles linked to silver and gold nanoparticles, Ag–Magnetite and Au–Magnetite, respectively, were introduced by endocytic uptake into cultured fibroblast cells. The cells containing the non-toxic nanoprobes were shown to be displaceable in an external magnetic field and can be manipulated in microfluidic channels. The distribution of the composite nanostructures that are contained in the endosomal system is discussed on the basis of surfaceenhanced Raman scattering (SERS) mapping, quantitative laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) micromapping, and cryo soft X-ray tomography (cryo soft-XRT). Cryo soft-XRT of intact, vitrified cells reveals that the composite nanoprobes form intra-endosomal aggregates. The nanoprobes provide SERS signals from the biomolecular composition of their surface in the endosomal environment. The SERS data indicate the high stability of the nanoprobes and of their plasmonic properties in the harsh environment of endosomes and lysosomes. The spectra point at the molecular composition at the surface of the Ag–Magnetite and Au–Magnetite nanostructures that is very similar to that of other Composite structures, but different from the composition of pure silver and gold SERS nanoprobes used for intracellular investigations. As shown by the LA-ICP-MS data, the uptake efficiency of the magnetite composites is approximately two to three times higher than that of the pure gold and silver nanoparticles.
Safety assessment of nanoparticles (NPs) requires techniques that are suitable to quantify tissue and cellular uptake of NPs. The most commonly applied techniques for this purpose are based on inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Here we apply and compare three different ICP-MS methods to investigate the cellular uptake of TiO2 (diameter 7 or 20 nm, respectively) and Ag (diameter 50 or 75 nm, respectively) NPs into differentiated mouse neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2a cells). Cells were incubated with different amounts of the NPs. Thereafter they were either directly analyzed by laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) or were lysed and lysates were analyzed by ICP-MS and by single particle ICP-MS (SP-ICP-MS).
The study of the distribution of the cytostatic drugs cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin along the kidney may help to understand their different nephrotoxic behavior. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) allows the acquisition of trace element images in biological tissues. However, results obtained are affected by several variations concerning the sample matrix and instrumental drifts. In this work, an internal standardization method based on printing an Ir-spiked ink onto the surface of the sample has been developed to evaluate the different distributions and accumulation levels of the aforementioned drugs along the kidney of a rat model. A conventional ink-jet printer was used to print fresh sagittal kidney tissue slices of 4 μm. A reproducible and homogenous deposition of the ink along the tissue was observed. The ink was partially absorbed on top of the tissue. Thus, this approach provides a pseudo-internal standardization, due to the fact that the ablation sample and internal standard take place subsequently and not simultaneously. A satisfactory normalization of LA-ICP-MS bioimages and therefore a reliable comparison of the kidney treated with different Pt-based drugs were achieved even for tissues analyzed on different days. Due to the complete ablation of the sample, the transport of the ablated internal standard and tissue to the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is practically taking place at the same time. Pt accumulation in the kidney was observed in accordance to the dosages administered for each drug. Although the accumulation rate of cisplatin and oxaliplatin is high in both cases, their Pt distributions differ. The strong nephrotoxicity observed for cisplatin and the absence of such side effect in the case of oxaliplatin could explain these distribution differences. The homogeneous distribution of oxaliplatin in the cortical and medullar areas could be related with its higher affinity for cellular transporters such as MATE2-k.
In this book many practical hints are given and analytical problems are discussed by the authors from their own experiences. A critical assessment of the methods is given, which is most important for decision makers to select a good combination of complementary methods to solve practical analytical problems.
The development of iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications requires accurate histological evaluation. Prussian blue iron staining is widely used but may be unspecific when tissues contain substantial endogenous iron. Here we tested whether microscopy by laser ablation coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is sensitive enough to analyze accumulation of very small iron oxide particles (VSOP) doped with europium in tissue sections.
The β-secretase or β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is the enzyme responsible for the formation of amyloid-β peptides, which have a major role in Alzheimer pathogenesis. BACE1 has a transmembrane sequence (TMS), which makes it unique among related proteases. We noticed that the BACE1 TMS contains an uncommon sulfur-rich motif. The sequence MxxxCxxxMxxxCxMxC spans the entire TMS, resembles metal ion binding motifs, and is highly conserved among homologues. We used a synthetic 31-mer model peptide comprising the TMS to study metal ion binding and oligomerization. Applying diverse biochemical and biophysical techniques, we detected dimer and trimer formation of the TMS peptide with copper ions. Replacement of the central Cys466 by Ala essentially abolished these effects. We show that the peptide undergoes a redox reaction with copper ions resulting in a disulfide bridge involving Cys466. Further, we find peptide trimerization that depends on the presence of monovalent copper ions and the sulfhydryl group of Cys466. We identified Cys466 as a key residue for metal ion chelation and to be the core of an oligomerization motif of the BACE1-TMS peptide. Our results demonstrate a novel metal ion controlled oligomerization of the BACE1 TMS, which could have an enormous therapeutic importance against Alzheimer disease.
We developed new procedures for internal standardization and calibration to be used for laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for elemental micro mapping imaging of biological samples like Western blot membranes and tissue sections. These procedures are based on printing of metal spiked inks onto the top of thin layer samples for simultaneous internal standardization and calibration of LA-ICP-MS. In the case of internal standardization the ink is spiked with indium as an internal standard and homogenously printed over the entire membrane (size 56 cm2) prior to LA-ICP-MS detection, a standard deviation (RSD) value of 2% was achieved. In the second approach the metal content of lanthanide tagged proteins and antibodies after biological work flows was quantified by LA-ICP-MS on nitro-cellulose membranes. In this case the inks spiked with varying metals were printed with different densities on the same nitrocellulose membranes in well-defined squares to produce matrix-matched calibration standards. For validation and calibration the ink squares were excised and the specific metal content was measured by liquid ICP-MS after solubilization of the membrane slice. For the printed calibration standard limits of detection (LOD) of <4 fmol for different metals and relative process standard deviations of 12% only were determined via LA-ICP-MS.
By adding a gold core to silica nanoparticles (BrightSilica), silica-like nanoparticles are generated that, unlike unmodified silica nanoparticles, provide three types of complementary information to investigate the silica nano-biointeraction inside eukaryotic cells in situ. Firstly, organic molecules in proximity of and penetrating into the silica shell in live cells are monitored by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The SERS data show interaction of the hybrid silica particles with tyrosine, cysteine and phenylalanine side chains of adsorbed proteins. Composition of the biomolecular corona of BrightSilica nanoparticles differs in fibroblast and macrophage cells. Secondly, quantification of the BrightSilica nanoparticles using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) micromapping indicates a different interaction of silica nanoparticles compared to gold nanoparticles under the same experimental conditions. Thirdly, the metal cores allow the investigation of particle distribution and interaction in the cellular ultrastructure by cryo nanoscale X-ray tomography (cryo-XT). In 3D reconstructions the assumption is confirmed that BrightSilica nanoparticles enter cells by an endocytotic mechanism. The high SERS intensities are explained by the beneficial plasmonic properties due to agglomeration of BrightSilica. The results have implications for the development of multi-modal qualitative and quantitative characterization in comparative nanotoxicology and bionanotechnology.
The analysis of single cells is a growing research field in many disciplines such as toxicology, medical diagnosis, drug and cancer research or metallomics, and different methods based on microscopic, mass spectrometric, and spectroscopic techniques are under investigation. This review focuses on the most recent trends in which inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ICP optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) are applied for single-cell analysis using metal atoms being intrinsically present in cells, taken up by cells (e.g., nanoparticles), or which are artificially bound to a cell. For the latter, especially element tagged antibodies are of high interest and are discussed in the review. The application of different sample introduction systems for liquid analysis (pneumatic nebulization, droplet generation) and elemental imaging by laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) of single cells are highlighted. Because of the high complexity of biological systems and for a better understanding of processes and dynamics of biologically or medically relevant cells, the authors discuss the idea of 'multimodal spectroscopies.'
The cellular response to nanoparticle exposure is essential in various contexts, especially in nanotoxicity and nanomedicine. Here, 14-nm gold nanoparticles in 3T3 fibroblast cells are investigated in a series of pulse-chase experiments with a 30-min incubation pulse and chase times ranging from 15 min to 48 h. The gold nanoparticles and their aggregates are quantified inside the cellular ultrastructure by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry micromapping and evaluated regarding the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals. In this way, both information about their localization at the micrometre scale and their molecular nanoenvironment, respectively, is obtained and can be related. Thus, the nanoparticle pathway from endocytotic uptake, intracellular processing, to cell division can be followed. It is shown that the ability of the intracellular nanoparticles and their accumulations and aggregates to support high SERS signals is neither directly related to nanoparticle amount nor to high local nanoparticle densities. The SERS data indicate that aggregate geometry and interparticle distances in the cell must change in the course of endosomal maturation and play a critical role for a specific gold nanoparticle type in order to act as efficient SERS nanoprobe. This finding is supported by TEM images, showing only a minor portion of aggregates that present small interparticle spacing. The SERS spectra obtained after different chase times show a changing composition and/or structure of the biomolecule corona of the gold nanoparticles as a consequence of endosomal processing.
Elementmassenspektrometrie und Metallomics als neue Herausforderung für die Lebenswissenschaften
(2009)
A fast and mild method for iodine labelling of proteins is presented which is specifically designed and optimized for laser ablation (LA-)ICP-MS based proteomics. Single proteins (lysozyme, bovine serum albumin, cytochrome c and β-casein), whole proteomes (microsomal proteome of rats) and antibodies (anti-bovine casein, anti-bovine serum albumin) can be efficiently iodinated by means of potassium triiodide with minimal losses of antigen properties and antibody binding to iodinated proteins. A comparison with iodination by use of IODO-Beads is presented and it is shown that triiodide labelling is a fast, cheap and less laborious alternative without compromising the analytical figures of merit.
Quantitative analysis of cytochrome P450 (CYP) patterns of cells and tissues is an important aspect in toxicological and pharmacological research as this group of enzymes is largely involved in the metabolism of toxic compounds and drugs. Here we present a method for the multi-parametric and simultaneous quantitative determination of several cytochromes P450 in liver microsomes of untreated and inducer treated rats. The method is based on the binding of specifically lanthanide labelled antibodies to electrophoretically separated and blotted CYP proteins and their subsequent identification and quantification by LA-ICP-MS. CYP1A1, CYP2B1, CYP2C11, CYP2E1 and CYP3A1 were simultaneously quantified and the patterns between microsomal samples were compared. Microsomes of rats treated with 3-methylcholanthrene, phenobarbital and dexamethasone showed increased levels of CYP1A1, CYP2B1 and CYP3A1, respectively. These results coincide with data obtained by independent methods for CYP quantification, i.e. ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity for CYP1A1 and pentoxyresorufin O-depentylase for CYP2B1. The presented method is useful for multi-parametric CYP profiling and has further large potential with respect to the number of analysed parameters/proteins and sensitivity.
The aim of this series of two reviews is to introduce the basic concepts of ICP and GD sector field instruments, to discuss their peculiarities and performance, to present selected analytical applications for demonstration of the 'state of the art' and, finally, to identify possible future trends and developments. Part I focuses on fundamentals, instrumentation and operation of instruments to give an overview of the capabilities of the actual commercially available instrumentation, whereas selected applications will be discussed in detail in part II.
Part I of this series of two reviews focused on fundamentals, instrumentation and operation of sector field instruments to give a proper overview of the capabilities of the actual commercially available instrumentation. In part II, selected applications of the last decade are discussed in detail concluding with pinpointing possible future trends and current developments.
Speciation of Se in fish is needed to elucidate the metabolism of this element in living organisms in the marine environment. In this paper, selenium concentration and its species distribution in several organs and tissues (liver, gills, kidney, muscle and gastrointestinal tract) of African catfish fed with a selenium-enriched garlic based diet was studied. The intention of this paper is focused on both the investigation of selenium distribution in the soluble protein fraction and the detection of selenoaminoacids. Thus, two different procedures have been developed. In the first procedure, screening of selenium in proteins in the Tris-buffer soluble fraction of different tissues was carried out by size exclusion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS) and by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) after sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) separation and electroblotting onto membranes. For the amino acid analysis, several sample treatments for Se-species extraction, based on enzymatic hydrolysis, were compared. The best results were obtained for incubation at controlled temperature. Application of several sample treatments in conjunction with different chromatographic techniques (reverse phase, anion exchange and ion exchange/size exclusion) was crucial to unambiguous Se-species identification. In Se-enriched African catfish a noticeable increase in the content of selenium in different organs was observed, except for the liver, where the Se level remained unaltered. The kidney was the Se-target organ in animals fed with enriched Se food. Selenomethionine (SeMet) was the main Se species identified in fillet extracts, whereas the presence of selenocysteine (SeCys) was detected in the liver and both SeMet and SeCys were present in the kidney.
ICP-MS is based on the formation of (preferentially monovalent positively)charged atomic ions in an inductively coupled Ar plasma at almost 10 000 K. The ions formed are transferred from the plasma source at ambient pressure into a mass Separator operated at high vacuum via a set of cones. The ions are separate«! according to their mass/charge ratio in the mass Separator (quadrupole, magnetic sector field or time-of-flight mass Separator). In most cases, the ions are detected using a secondaiy electron multiplier; in some set-ups (also) a Faraday cup can be used. Single-collector (scanning mass spectrometer usually used for quantitative elemental analysis) or multicollector (static Operation of mass spectrometer for precise isotope ratio analysis) configurations can be found.
In this work, a routinely applicable approach is presented to characterize metal NPs. Individual droplets generated from a microdroplet generator (MDG) were merged into an aerosol generated by a pneumatic nebulizer (PN) and introduced into an ICPMS. The MDG offers high transport efficiency of individual and discrete droplets and was therefore used to establish a calibration function for mass quantification of NPs which were introduced through the PN following the single particle procedure as described elsewhere. The major advantages of such a combined configuration include fast processing of large sample volumes, fast exchanges of different sample matrixes, and the calibration of the NP signal using traceable elemental standards, thus avoiding the need to use NP reference materials or other, not always thoroughly characterized, commercially available NPs. The transport efficiency of the sample introduction is calculated based on the fact that 100% of the calibrant reaches the plasma through the MDG, whereas for the PN a NP suspension containing a known number concentration is used. Alternatively, bulk analysis of the NP material allows transport efficiency determination without any additional information from reference NPs. With this method, we could determine the size of standard silver NPs at 60.4 ± 1.0 nm and 80.0 ± 1.4 nm, respectively, which agrees with the size ranges given by the supplier (60.8 ± 6.6 nm and 79.8 ± 5.4 nm). Furthermore, we were also able to determine the NPs number concentration of the sample (Ag/Au) with a deviation of 3.2% the expected value.
Tributyltin is listed as one of the priority substances in the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Despite its decreasing input in the environment, it is still present and has to be monitored. In the European Metrology Research Programme project ENV08, a sensitive and reliable analytical method according to the WFD was developed to quantify this environmental pollutant at a very low limit of quantification. With the development of such a primary reference method for tributyltin, the project helped to improve the quality and comparability of monitoring data. An overview of project aims and potential analytical tools is given.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a well-established analytical method for multi-elemental analysis in particular for elements at trace and ultra-trace levels. It has found acceptance in various application areas during the last decade. ICP-MS is also more and more applied for detection in the life sciences. For these applications, ICP-MS excels by a high sensitivity, which is independent of the molecular structure of the analyte, a wide linear dynamic range and by excellent multi-element capabilities. Furthermore, methods based on ICP-MS offer simple quantification concepts, for which usually (liquid) standards are applied, low matrix effects compared to other conventional bioanalytical techniques, and relative limits of detection (LODs) in the low pg g−1 range and absolute LODs down to the attomol range.
In this chapter, we focus on new applications where the multi-element capability of ICP-MS is used for detection of lanthanoides or rare earth elements, which are applied as elemental stains or tags of biomolecules and in particular of antibodies.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is based on formation of positively charged atomic ions in a high-frequency inductively coupled Argon plasma at atmospheric pressure. The ions are extracted and transferred from the plasma source into a mass analyzer operated at high vacuum via an interface equipped with a sampling and a skimmer cone. The ions are separated in the mass analyzer according to their charge to mass ratio. The ions are converted at a conversion dynode and are detected by use of a secondary electron multiplier or a Faraday cup.
From an analytical point of view, ICP-MS is a well-established method for multi-elemental analysis in particular for elements at trace- and ultra-trace levels. Furthermore, methods based on ICP-MS offer simple quantification concepts, for which usually (liquid) standards are applied, low matrix effects compared to other conventional analytical techniques, and relative limits of detection (LODs) in the low pg g−1 range and absolute LODs down to the attomol range. For these applications, ICP-MS excels by a high sensitivity which is independent of the molecular structure and a wide linear dynamic range. It has found acceptance in various application areas and during the last decade ICP-MS is also more and more applied for detection of rare earth elements particularly in the life sciences.
Due to the fact that all molecules introduced into the high temperature of the plasma in the ion source were completely dissociated and broken down into atoms, which are subsequently ionized, all elemental species information is completely lost. However, if the different species are separated before they enter the plasma by using adequate fractionation or separation techniques, then ICP-MS can be used as a very sensitive element-specific detector. We will discuss this feature of ICP-MS in this chapter in more detail at hand of the speciation of gadolinium-containing contrast agents.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is based on formation of positively charged atomic ions in a high-frequency inductively coupled Argon plasma at atmospheric pressure. The ions are extracted and transferred from the plasma source into a mass analyzer operated at high vacuum via an interface equipped with a sampling and a skimmer cone. The ions are separated in the mass analyzer according to their charge to mass ratio. The ions are converted at a conversion dynode and are detected by use of a secondary electron multiplier or a Faraday cup.
From an analytical point of view, ICP-MS is a well-established method for multi-elemental analysis in particular for elements at trace- and ultra-trace levels. Furthermore, methods based on ICP-MS offer simple quantification concepts, for which usually (liquid) standards are applied, low matrix effects compared to other conventional analytical techniques, and relative limits of detection (LODs) in the low pg g−1 range and absolute LODs down to the attomol range. For these applications, ICP-MS excels by a high sensitivity which is independent of the molecular structure and a wide linear dynamic range. It has found acceptance in various application areas and during the last decade ICP-MS is also more and more applied for detection of rare earth elements particularly in the life sciences.
Due to the fact that all molecules introduced into the high temperature of the plasma in the ion source were completely dissociated and broken down into atoms, which are subsequently ionized, all elemental species information is completely lost. However, if the different species are separated before they enter the plasma by using adequate fractionation or separation techniques, then ICP-MS can be used as a very sensitive element-specific detector. We will discuss this feature of ICP-MS in this chapter in more detail at hand of the speciation of gadolinium-containing contrast agents.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a well-established analytical method for multi-elemental analysis in particular for elements at trace and ultra-trace levels. It has found acceptance in various application areas during the last decade. ICP-MS is also more and more applied for detection in the life sciences. For these applications, ICP-MS excels by a high sensitivity, which is independent of the molecular structure of the analyte, a wide linear dynamic range and by excellent multi-element capabilities. Furthermore, methods based on ICP-MS offer simple quantification concepts, for which usually (liquid) standards are applied, low matrix effects compared to other conventional bioanalytical techniques, and relative limits of detection (LODs) in the low pg g−1 range and absolute LODs down to the attomol range.
In this chapter, we focus on new applications where the multi-element capability of ICP-MS is used for detection of lanthanoides or rare earth elements, which are applied as elemental stains or tags of biomolecules and in particular of antibodies.
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has been revealed as a convenient technique for trace elemental imaging in tissue sections, providing elemental 2D distribution at a quantitative level. For quantification purposes, in the last years several approaches have been proposed in the literature such as the use of CRMs or matrix matched standards. The use of Isotope Dilution (ID) for quantification by LA-ICP-MS has been also described, being mainly useful for bulk analysis but not feasible for spatial measurements so far. In this work, a quantification method based on ID analysis was developed by printing isotope-enriched inks onto kidney slices from rats treated with antitumoral Pt-based drugs using a commercial ink-jet device, in order to perform an elemental quantification in different areas from bio-images. For the ID experiments ¹⁹⁴Pt enriched platinum was used. The methodology was validated by deposition of natural Pt standard droplets with a known amount of Pt onto the surface of a control tissue, where could be quantified even 50 pg of Pt, with recoveries higher than 90%. The amount of Pt present in the whole kidney slices was quantified for cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin-treated rats. The results obtained were in accordance with those previously reported. The amount of Pt distributed between the medullar and cortical areas was also quantified, observing different behavior for the three drugs.
Quantification of nanoparticle (NP) uptake in cells or tissues is very important for safety assessment. Often, electron microscopy based approaches are used for this purpose, which allow imaging at very high resolution. However, precise quantification of NP numbers in cells and tissues remains challenging. The aim of this study was to present a novel approach, that combines precise quantification of NPs in individual cells together with high resolution imaging of their intracellular distribution based on focused ion beam/ scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) slice and view approaches.
Metalloproteins, which represent about 30 % of the total proteome, are often important markers for distinguishing between healthy and diseased states of patients. As such markers have become increasingly important in clinical diagnostics, some of these proteins are routinely analysed in clinical laboratories. Reliable and comparable results are the basis for the investigation of changes in the proteome due to different health conditions. Nevertheless, for many proteins the results achieved with different routine measurement procedures or in different laboratories vary widely, thus hampering medical insights and the development of treatments. Reference measurement procedures with results traceable to the International System of Units (SI) will also help to greatly improve the performance of routine measurement procedures and, this way, they support the understanding of changes in the metallome.
Short course on ICP-MS
(2017)
ICP-MS is a well-established analytical method which excels by high accuracy, high dynamic range and extremely low limits of detection for most metals. Furthermore ICP-MS offers a very high multi-element coverage so that many elements of the periodic table can be detected simultaneously. In this series of lectures, we want to focus on the historical developments, fundamentals, instrumentation and novel applications of ICP-MS in the life and material sciences.
Lecture 7: Speciation
(2017)
ICP-MS is a well-established analytical method which excels by high accuracy, high dynamic range and extremely low limits of detection for most metals. Furthermore ICP-MS offers a very high multi-element coverage so that many elements of the periodic table can be detected simultaneously. In this series of lectures, we want to focus on the historical developments, fundamentals, instrumentation and novel applications of ICP-MS in the life and material sciences.
Spectral interferences
(2017)
ICP-MS is a well-established analytical method which excels by high accuracy, high dynamic range and extremely low limits of detection for most metals. Furthermore ICP-MS offers a very high multi-element coverage so that many elements of the periodic table can be detected simultaneously. In this series of lectures, we want to focus on the historical developments, fundamentals, instrumentation and novel applications of ICP-MS in the life and material sciences.
Non-spectral interferences
(2017)
ICP-MS is a well-established analytical method which excels by high accuracy, high dynamic range and extremely low limits of detection for most metals. Furthermore ICP-MS offers a very high multi-element coverage so that many elements of the periodic table can be detected simultaneously. In this series of lectures, we want to focus on the historical developments, fundamentals, instrumentation and novel applications of ICP-MS in the life and material sciences.
Gold nanostructures that serve as probes for nanospectroscopic analysis of eukaryotic cell cultures can be obtained by the in situ reduction of tetrachloroauric acid (HAuCl4). To understand the formation process of such intracellularly grown particles depending on the incubation medium, the reaction was carried out with 3T3 fibroblast cells in three different incubation media, phosphate buffer, Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), and standard cell culture medium (DMEM with fetal calf serum). The size, the optical properties, the biomolecular corona, and the localization of the gold nanoparticles formed in situ vary for the different conditions. The combination of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) microscopic mapping and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) provides complementary perspectives on plasmonic nanoparticles and non-plasmonic gold compounds inside the cells. While for the incubation with HAuCl4 in PBS, gold particles provide optical signals from the nucleus, the incubation in standard cell culture medium leads to scavenging of the toxic molecules and the formation of spots of high gold concentration in the cytoplasm without formation of SERS-active particles inside the cells. The biomolecular corona of nanoparticles formed in situ after incubation in buffer and DMEM differs, suggesting that different intracellular molecular species serve for reduction and stabilization. Comparison with data obtained from ready-made gold nanoparticles suggests complementary application of in situ and ex situ generated nanostructures for optical probing.
ICP-MS is a well-established analytical method which excels by high accuracy, high dynamic range and extremely low limits of detection for most metals. Furthermore ICP-MS offers a very high multi-element coverage so that many elements of the periodic table can be detected simultaneously. In this series of lectures, we want to focus on the historical developments, fundamentals, instrumentation and novel applications of ICP-MS in the life and material sciences.
Single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (sp-ICP-MS) has become an effective tool for the detection and quantification of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs). While sizing of NPs suspended in water is relatively straightforward by sp-ICP-MS, accurate mass quantification of NPs in complex media, such as consumer products and natural systems still remains a challenge. When NPs are suspended in a complex medium, the matrix may affect the analyte sensitivity and lead to inaccurate NP sizing. Here, we investigate the use of an online microdroplet calibration system to size NPs in a single step. In this setup, microdroplets—which are used as the calibrant to determine elemental sensitivities—and nebulized NP-containing solutions are introduced concurrently into the ICP via a dual-inlet sample introduction system. Because calibrant microdroplets and analyte NPs experience the same plasma conditions, both the microdroplets and the NPs are subjected to the same matrix-related signal enhancement or suppression. In this way, the microdroplet calibration standards are automatically matrix matched with the NP-containing solution. The online microdroplet calibration system is combined with an ICP-TOFMS instrument for simultaneous measurement of multiple elements in microdroplets and NPs. We investigate the ability of online microdroplet calibration to compensate for matrix effects through a series of experiments, in which Ag and Au NPs are measured with variable plasma-sampling positions, varying concentrations of HCl and HNO3, varying concentrations of single element solutions, and high concentrations of a salt matrix, i.e. phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Through these experiments, we demonstrate that the online microdroplet calibration strategy provides a matrix-independent mass quantification of analyte NPs in the presence of several established types of matrix effects, including acid effects, space-charge effects, and ionisation suppression. In results presented here, we focus on the size determination of the NPs.
We have efficiently produced collagen-rich microstructures in fibroblast multicellular spheroids (MCSs) as a three-dimensional in vitro tissue analog to investigate silver (Ag) nanoparticle (NP) penetration. The MCS production was examined by changing the seeding cell number (500 to 40,000 cells) and the growth period (1 to 10 days). MCSs were incubated with Ag NP suspensions with a concentration of 5 μg/mL for 24 h. For this study, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to visualize Ag NP localization quantitatively. Thin sections of MCSs were analyzed by LA-ICP-MS with a laser spot size of 8 μm to image distributions of 109Ag, 31P, 63Cu, 66Zn, and 79Br. A calibration using a NP suspension was applied to convert the measured Ag intensity into the number of NPs present. The determined numbers of NPs ranged from 30 to 7200 particles in an outer rim of MCS. The particle distribution was clearly correlated with the presence of 31P and 66Zn and was localized in the outer rim of proliferating cells with a width that was equal to about twice the diameter of single cells. Moreover, abundant collagens were found in the outer rim of MCSs. For only the highest seeding cell number, NPs were completely captured at the outer rim, in a natural barrier reducing particle transport, whereas Eosin (79Br) used as a probe of small molecules penetrated into the core of MCSs already after 1 min of exposure.
Imuno-histochemical staining (IHC) of cancer biomarker on tissue sections is one of the most important analytical techniques for cancer diagnosis although standardization and quality management is tedious and differ significantly from clinic to clinic. Combining established IHC staining strategies with modern quantitative methods would increase it`s potential. We used element mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and a new ink-jet printed internal standardization approach in combination with IHC staining. The printing strategy was utilized to improve elemental image resolution and reproducibility of paraffin embedded breast cancer tissue sections in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) after conventional IHC staining as a model system to investigate the new capabilities of this technique.
Polyethylene (PE) frits were used to quantify sulphur in copper and its alloys by isotope dilution combined with LA-ICP-MS as an alternative approach to conventional sample preparation: the copper samples were spiked, the spiked samples were dissolved, the resulting solutions were absorbed in the PE frits and finally the PE frits were analysed by LA-ICP-MS. A prerequisite for such a support material is a low sulphur blank and thus PE was selected for this purpose. The absorption efficiency of the PE frits was studied for varying sulphur amounts ranging from 2 mg S to 80 mg S showing that more than 99.5% of the loaded sulphur was absorbed by the frit. The so prepared PE frits were measured by LA-ICP-MS and yielded a good linearity (R2 ¼ 0.999) for the sulphur ion intensities corresponding to sulphur amounts up to 40 mg S; the associated sensitivity is approximately 3.4 x 10⁴ cps μg⁻¹ for ³²S. For the validation of the developed procedure the reference materials BAM-M376a, BAM-228 and BAM-227 were applied such that 2 μg S, 5 μg S and 11 μg S were absorbed in the PE frits, respectively. These samples were pre-quantified for the adsorbed sulphur amount by external calibration LA-ICP-MS yielding sulphur amounts of 0.9 μg, 5.1 μg and 8.5 μg (quantified for ³²S only), respectively. Relative Standard deviations of the isotope ratios were below 5% in average (n ¼ 3 lines) in all cases (except for the pure spike solution). These samples were then analysed by LA-ICP-IDMS and the measurement results were validated by comparing them with the results obtained by conventional ICP-IDMS. The obtained relative expanded measurement uncertainties ranged between 10% and 26%. Pearson's coefficient was used to express the correlation between both techniques; the obtained value was 0.999 demonstrating a strong correlation. Contrary to most published LA-ICP-IDMS procedures, the developed procedure enables SI-traceability for the measurement results. The metrological traceability to the SI for the sulphur mass fractions in copper was established by an unbroken chain of comparisons, each accompanied by an uncertainty budget. Thus, the measurement results are considered reliable, acceptable and comparable within the stated measurement uncertainty. The metrological traceability chain from the kg down to mass fraction in the samples obtained by LA-ICP-IDMS is presented as well.
ICP-MS is a well-established analytical method which excels by high accuracy, high dynamic range and extremely low limits of detection for most metals. Furthermore ICP-MS offers a very high multi-element coverage so that many elements of the periodic table can be detected simultaneously. In this series of lectures, we want to focus on the historical developments, fundamentals, instrumentation and novel applications of ICP-MS in the life and material sciences.
In this work, sample losses of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) have been systematically investigated with the main focus on instrumental conditions like focusing and cross-flow parameters as well as sample concentration and buffer composition. Special attention was drawn to the AF4 membrane. For monitoring possible silver depositions on the membrane, imaging laser ablation coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used. Our results show that the sample residue on the membrane was below 0.6% of the total injected amount and therefore could be almost completely avoided at low sample concentrations and optimized conditions. By investigation of the AF4 flows using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), we found the recovery rate in the detector flow under optimized conditions to be nearly 90%, while the cross-flow, slot-outlet flow and purge flow showed negligible amounts of under 0.5%. The analysis of an aqueous ionic Ag standard solution resulted in recovery rates of over 6% and the ionic Ag content in the sample was found to be nearly 8%. Therefore, we were able to indicate the ionic Ag content as the most important source of sample loss in this study.
Single particle ICP-MS (spICP-MS) has gained great influence in the analysis of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) due to its simplicity, speed and ability to obtain a particle number size distribution. Despite its many advantages, the method is hampered by matrix effects affecting the sensitivity of the instruments.
Consequently, over- or underestimated particle sizes might be obtained. To overcome these challenges, we present in this work the detection of both Ag isotopes with a quadrupole mass spectrometer for the application of isotopic dilution analysis (IDA) in combination with spICP-MS. Here, the isotopes are measured sequentially using the conventional spICP-MS integration time of 10 ms. Citrate stabilized Ag NPs of a spherical shape with the nominal diameters of 30, 40, 50 and 80 nm have been investigated.
The experimental concept of adding ¹⁰⁹Ag+ solutions to the NP suspensions resulted in the NP Spikes being only visible in the ¹⁰⁷Ag trace. Therefore, a maximum of 45% of the particles was detected compared to that by conventional spICP-MS. A modified mass flow equation was applied to determine the particle sizes, particle size distributions and particle number concentrations of various Ag NPs. The addition of different spike concentrations between 0.5 and 4 mg L⁻¹ ¹⁰⁹Ag resulted in similar particle diameters, suggesting that the calculated diameter might be independent of the spike concentration.
This would have the advantage that no size information would be needed before the analysis. By analyzing Ag NP suspensions in a simulated seawater matrix, we demonstrate its significant influence on the particle size determination using conventional spICP-MS. A lower transport efficiency of 6.1% was found in the matrix compared to 7.3% without the matrix. In our approach, the addition of the Matrix influenced the NP intensity stronger than the spike signal, resulting in slightly smaller diameters using IDA–spICP-MS with the matrix compared to the results without the matrix. On the other hand, the IDA–spICP-MS approach with the matrix can result in equivalent results for the particle sizes compared with
conventional spICP-MS using suspensions without the matrix. Due to the lower instrument sensitivity in the matrix, a diameter of 30 nm was found to be close to the detection limit of the instrument.
A laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS)-based methodology is presented for Pt, Cu, and Zn bioimaging on whole kidney 3 µm sagittal sections from rats treated with pharmacological doses of cisplatin, which were sacrificed once renal damage had taken place. Pt turned out to accumulate in the kidney cortex and corticomedullary junction, corresponding to areas where the proximal tubule S3 segments (the most sensitive cells to cisplatin nephrotoxicity) are located. This demonstrates the connection between platinum accumulation and renal damage proved by histological examination of HE-stained sections and evaluation of serum and urine biochemical parameters. Cu and Zn distribution maps revealed a significant displacement in cells by Pt, as compared to control tissues. A dramatic decrease in the Pt accumulation in the cortex was observed when cilastatin was coadministered with cisplatin, which can be related to its nephroprotective effect. Excellent imaging reproducibility, sensitivity (LOD 50 fg), and resolution (down to 8 µm) were achieved, demonstrating that LA–ICP–MS can be applied as a microscopic metal detector at cellular level in certain tissues. A simple and quick approach for the estimation of Pt tissue levels was proposed, based on tissue spiking.
We optimized multiplexed immunohistochemistry (IHC) on breast cancer tissue. Up to 20 tumor markers are routinely evaluated for one patient, and thus, a common analysis results in a series of time consuming staining procedures. As an alternative, we used lanthanides for labeling of primary antibodies, which are applied in IHC. Laser ablation (LA) ICPMS was elaborated as a detection tool for multiplexed IHC of tissue sections. In this study, we optimized sample preparation steps and LA ICPMS parameters to achieve a sufficient signal-to-background ratio. The results prove the high selectivity of applied antibodies, which was sustained after labeling. Up to three tumor markers (Her 2, CK 7, and MUC 1) were detected simultaneously in a single multiplex analysis of a 5 µm thin breast cancer tissue at a laser spot size of 200 µm. Furthermore, the LA ICPMS results indicate a significantly higher expression level of MUC 1 compared to Her 2 and CK 7, which was not obvious from the conventionally stained tissue sections.
A new laser ablation (LA)-ICP-MS method for single cell and cell nucleus imaging was developed. Therein, iodine was employed as an elemental dye for fibroblast cells and for thin tissue sections. At an incubation time of 60 s, iodine is located mainly within the cell nuclei. This effect was illustrated in fibroblast cells, and iodine signal within the cell nucleus was as high as 5 × 104 cps at 4 µm laser spot size. The surrounding cytoplasm was iodinated as well, but to a lesser extent. The spatial resolution attained was sufficient to detect even smaller cell nuclei within a liver biopsy tissue. Furthermore, iodine was successfully employed for biomolecule labeling and we demonstrated that iodine signal increased with increasing thickness of a palatine tonsil tissue. Thus, the use of iodine as an internal standard to correct for tissue inhomogeneities in LA-ICP-MS was investigated for the simultaneous detection of two tumor markers (Her 2 and CK 7) in breast cancer tissue. Additionally, lanthanide background resulting from glass ablation can be corrected for by Eu standardization.
In this work the determination of Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe and Sb as organic and inorganic additives in in-house plastic materials (ABS, LDPE) using electrothermal vaporization combined with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy is described. The influence of CCl2F2 as gaseous halogenation modifier was investigated. Especially for the carbide forming elements the sensitivity was improved and the memory effects were significantly reduced. Calibration was performed by external calibration and standard addition with aqueous standard solutions added directly into the sample boats. Absolute limits of detection (3s-criterion) range between 0.1 ng (Cd) and 9 ng (Fe) which corresponds to relative values of 0.1 mg kg-1 and 1.6 mg kg-1, respectively, taking 5 mg as typical sample mass. The detection limits are sufficient to monitor the element contents of plastic materials according to European directives such as European directive on the safety of toys. The developed ETV-ICP-OES method allows a fast analysis with a high sample throughput (3 minutes per analysis), low sample consumption and good trueness and precision for the analyzed elements. Sample preparation is reduced to ashing the samples in a muffle furnace. Furthermore, measurements are possible regardless of the chemical form in the additives. For verification the results obtained with the developed method were compared with measurement results of independent methods ICP-MS/OES after digestion. In addition Cd, Cr and Pb were determined in a solid plastic reference material BAM-H010 to confirm the applicability and accuracy of the method.
In this work, we report on the application of hyphenated gas source mass spectrometry to study and understand the mechanism of the reduction-distillation of ZnO using Al powder as reductant in its activated and inactivated form. The experiments revealed that the purity of the Zn metal produced were superior using activated Al with respect to inactivated Al, i.e., m5N8 (99.9998% metallic based) versus m5N3. The achieved purity levels of Zn and the absence of high volatile Cd, Mg, and Sb impurities in the gas phase and the material collected were explained with respect to the impurity elements free-energy values, vapor pressure data, and an observed scavenging effect of the Ta crucible, which was supported by the on-line observed mass spectrometric profiles of the residual gas.