Elemental imaging mass spectrometry of thin sections of tissues and analysis of brain proteins in gels by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has become established as a very efficient and sensitive trace and surface analytical technique in the life sciences. We applied LA-ICP-MS to produce images for investigating the spatial element distribution as well as the layered structures and inhomogeneities in thin tissue sections (e.g., human and rat brain tissues). In order to quantify the analytical data, matrix-matched laboratory standards were prepared and analyzed by applying the optimized experimental parameters using LA-ICP-MS. Furthermore, the possibility of the nanometer-scale analysis of elements on sample surfaces by near-field LA-ICP-MS on soft matter (e.g., on 2D gels and biological samples) will be discussed briefly. This novel technique opens up a new challenging path for future applications in the quantitative imaging of elements in life sciences and nanotechnologies. (c) 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.