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Comparative Study
. 2017 Mar;409(7):1805-1814.
doi: 10.1007/s00216-016-0124-6. Epub 2016 Dec 14.

A comparison of sample preparation strategies for biological tissues and subsequent trace element analysis using LA-ICP-MS

Maximilian Bonta  1 , Szilvia Török  2 , Balazs Hegedus  3 , Balazs Döme  2   3 , Andreas Limbeck  4
Affiliations
Comparative Study

A comparison of sample preparation strategies for biological tissues and subsequent trace element analysis using LA-ICP-MS

Maximilian Bonta et al. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is one of the most commonly applied methods for lateral trace element distribution analysis in medical studies. Many improvements of the technique regarding quantification and achievable lateral resolution have been achieved in the last years. Nevertheless, sample preparation is also of major importance and the optimal sample preparation strategy still has not been defined. While conventional histology knows a number of sample pre-treatment strategies, little is known about the effect of these approaches on the lateral distributions of elements and/or their quantities in tissues. The technique of formalin fixation and paraffin embedding (FFPE) has emerged as the gold standard in tissue preparation. However, the potential use for elemental distribution studies is questionable due to a large number of sample preparation steps. In this work, LA-ICP-MS was used to examine the applicability of the FFPE sample preparation approach for elemental distribution studies. Qualitative elemental distributions as well as quantitative concentrations in cryo-cut tissues as well as FFPE samples were compared. Results showed that some metals (especially Na and K) are severely affected by the FFPE process, whereas others (e.g., Mn, Ni) are less influenced. Based on these results, a general recommendation can be given: FFPE samples are completely unsuitable for the analysis of alkaline metals. When analyzing transition metals, FFPE samples can give comparable results to snap-frozen tissues. Graphical abstract Sample preparation strategies for biological tissues are compared with regard to the elemental distributions and average trace element concentrations.

Keywords: Biological samples; Laser ablation; Mass spectrometry ICP-MS.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Graphical abstract
Graphical abstract
Sample preparation strategies for biological tissues are compared with regard to the elemental distributions and average trace element concentrations.
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Elemental distributions of Mg (d) in a FFPE-treated heart section cut along the transverse plane, Zn distribution in a cryo-cut muscle sample (e), as well as Cu distribution in a cryo-cut coronal brain sample (f) with the corresponding micrographs of the heart (a), muscle (b), and brain (c)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Comparison of the average metal concentrations between a snap-frozen and a FFPE sample of mouse lung (a) and mouse brain (b)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
FFPE (a) and snap-frozen (e) samples of a mouse kidney with the elemental distributions of Na (b, f), Fe (c, g), and Mn (d, h)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
FFPE (a) and snap-frozen (e) samples of a mouse liver with the elemental distributions of Mg (b, f), K (c, g), and Ni (d, h)
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