Chip-based monolithic microextraction combined with ICP-MS for the determination of bismuth in HepG2 cells

Microfluidic devices provide a potential platform that can specialize in miniaturization, integration and automation. In this study, we prepared ethanediamine modified poly glycidyl methacrylate trimethylol propane triacrylate monolithic columns (poly (GMA-co-TRIM-NH2)) in a microfluidic chip channel and established a novel method by combining chip-based poly (GMA-co-TRIM-NH2) monolithic microextraction with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the determination of bismuth in cell samples. Various factors affecting chip-based monolithic microextraction of bismuth were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the limit of detection was 0.21 ng mL(-1) and the relative standard deviation for bismuth was 6.0% (c = 5 ng mL(-1), n = 7). The method was successfully applied to the analysis of HepG2 cells incubated with bismuth. With consumption of similar to 600 cells, the average amount of bismuth was determined to be at the sub picogram level in a single cell. The prepared chip-based poly (GMA-co-TRIM-NH2) monolithic column had a high-surface area and exhibited high extraction efficiency towards bismuth. The proposed chip-based monolithic microextraction method combined with ICP-MS provides a novel strategy for the analysis of trace metals in cells.