Bioimaging of metals in brain tissue from micrometre to nanometre scale by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: State of the art and perspectives

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) with multi-element capability is well established for the trace and ultratrace analysis of metals, metalloids and selected non-metals (such as C, P. S) in biological and clinical samples. Nowadays LA-ICP-MS is employed as a sensitive elemental mass spectrometric technique for the imaging of metals and non-metals in microtome thin tissue sections, especially for the determination of element, concentrations at the trace and ultratrace level in selected small brain regions. This article discusses the state of the art of bioimaging of metals in thin brain tissue sections by LA-ICP-MS with spatial resolution at the micrometre scale and prospects for developing quantitative techniques at nanometre range. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.