Comparison Between Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry and Benchtop X-Ray Fluorescence Performance for Trace Elemental Exposure in Rat Tissues

Details

• Personal Author:
  Adesina KE ; Brain JD ; Molina RM ; Parducci SA ; Specht AJ ; Weisskopf M
• Description:
  Background: Trace elemental toxicants induce health detriment in almost every organ system in the human body and account for a large amount of environmental and ecological environmental pollution. Traditionally, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been the gold standard for measuring elemental concentrations in biological tissues collected from toxicological and epidemiological studies. However, ICP-MS is often limited by its complexity, cost, and time-intensive nature. Methods: This study investigates the feasibility of benchtop X-ray fluorescence (XRF) as an efficient alternative for trace elemental analysis in rat tissues, offering comparable quantification capabilities with enhanced operational simplicity. We conducted a comparative analysis using tissue samples from multiple rat organs, including stomach, eyes, and liver. Results: The elemental concentrations of Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), and Zinc (Zn) were measured using both ICP-MS and a high-powered benchtop XRF (Epsilon 4, Malvern Panalytical). Our findings demonstrated strong linear regression correlations between the two methods: As (R² = 0.86), Cd (R² = 0.81), Cu (R² = 0.77), Mn (R² = 0.88), and Zn (R² = 0.74). The overall Pearson correlation coefficient was r = 0.95 (p ≤ 0.05), indicating high concordance between the mean concentrations obtained from ICP-MS and benchtop XRF. The median minimum detection limits for the elements were 0.12 µg/g, with specific limits for Cd (0.0042 µg/g), Cu (0.040 µg/g), Zn (0.12 µg/g), As (0.25 µg/g), and Mn (0.35 µg/g) over a 7.5-minute measurement period. Bland-Altman analysis revealed high agreement between the two methods, particularly for As, Cu, and Mn. Conclusion: These results suggest that both ICP-MS and benchtop XRF are viable for elemental quantification in organ tissues, with benchtop XRF being more practical for low-mass samples. This study shows benchtop XRF's potential for high-throughput, accurate trace element analysis in biological samples, broadening its use in environmental and toxicological research. Synopsis: Human and ecological tissues of varying compositions and densities can be measured effectively using benchtop X-ray fluorescence. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Metals Occupational Health Safety Toxicology
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Elemental Contents Benchtop X-ray Fluorescence Biomonitoring Environmental Pollution Icp-ms Metals Organs Rat Tissues Trace Analysis Trace Metals X-ray Fluorescence Analysis

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• ISSN:
  2773-0506
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Boston Region [OSHA] ; Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Indiana ; Massachusetts
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070753
• Citation:
  J Trace Elem Miner 2025 Jun; 12:100229
• Contact Point Address:
  Aaron J. Specht, 550 Stadium Mall Drive West, Lafayette, IN 47907
• Email:
  aspecht@purdue.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  Purdue University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20210901
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Trace Elements and Minerals
• End Date:
  20220731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0544e3b0d75323e98c5616ff0b9235e4f391219aabc9c411a773bed957681e12828cb41181db7a750ee4c0cf65a4b3b27748ebb68b030cf1672a0915bc18d0cd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208920/cdc_208920_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.08 MB ]