Imaging of uranium on rat brain sections using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: a new tool for the study of critical substructures affined to heavy metals in tissues

The specific toxicity of trace metals and compounds largely depends on their bioavailability in different organs or compartments of the organism considered. Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) with a spatial resolution in the 100 µm range was developed and employed to study heavy metal distribution in brain tissues for toxicological screening. Rat brain post‐mortem tissues were stained in an aqueous solution of either uranium or neodymium (metal concentration 100 µg g −1 ) for 3 h. The incubation of heavy metal in thin slices of brain tissue is followed by an imaging mass spectrometric LA‐ICP‐MS technique. Stained rat brain tissue (thickness 30 µm) were scanned with a focused laser beam (wavelength 266 nm, diameter of laser crater 100 µm and laser power density 3 × 10 9  W cm −2 ). The ion intensities of 235 U + , 238 U + , 145 Nd + and 146 Nd + were measured by LA‐ICP‐MS within the ablated area. For quantification purposes, matrix‐matched laboratory standards were prepared by dosing each analyte to the pieces of homogenized brain tissue. Imaging LA‐ICP‐MS allows structures of interest to be identified and the relevant dose range to be estimated. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.