Liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Photosubstitution and photoreduction of a diazido platinum(IV) anticancer complex

The hyphenation of HPLC with its high separation ability and ICP-MS with its excellent sensitivity, allows the analysis of Pt drugs in biological samples at the low nanomolar concentration levels. On the other hand, LC-MS provides molecular structural confirmation for each species. Using a combination of these methods, we have investigated the speciation of the photoactive anticancer complex diazido Pt(IV) complex trans, trans, trans-[Pt(N3)2(OH)2(py)2] (FM-190) in aqueous solution and biofluids at single-digit nanomolar concentrations before and after irradiation. FM-190 displays high stability in human blood plasma in the dark at 37 °C. Interestingly, the polyhydroxido species [{PtIV(py)2(OH)4} + Na]+ and [{PtIV(py)2(N3)(OH)3} + Na]+ resulting from the replacement of azido ligands, as determined by LC-MS, were the major products after photoirradiation of FM-190 with blue light (463 nm). This finding suggests that such photosubstituted Pt(IV) tri- and tetra-hydroxido species could play important roles in the biological activity of this anticancer complex. Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Time-Dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations show that these Pt(IV) species arising from FM-190 in aqueous media can be formed directly from a singlet excited state. The results highlight how speciation analysis (metallomics) can shed light on photoactivation pathways for FM-190 and formation of potential excited-state pharmacophores. The ability to detect and identify photoproducts at physiologically-relevant concentrations in cells and tissues will be important for preclinical development studies of this class of photoactivatable platinum drugs.

Recent Advances in the Application of Bionanosensors for the Analysis of Heavy Metals in Aquatic Environments

Heavy-metal ions (HMIs) as a pollutant, if not properly processed, used, and disposed of, will not only have an influence on the ecological environment but also pose significant health hazards to humans, making them a primary factor that endangers human health and harms the environment. Heavy metals come from a variety of sources, the most common of which are agriculture, industry, and sewerage. As a result, there is an urgent demand for portable, low-cost, and effective analytical tools. Bionanosensors have been rapidly developed in recent years due to their advantages of speed, mobility, and high sensitivity. To accomplish effective HMI pollution control, it is important not only to precisely pinpoint the source and content of pollution but also to perform real-time and speedy in situ detection of its composition. This study summarizes heavy-metal-ion (HMI) sensing research advances over the last five years (2019-2023), describing and analyzing major examples of electrochemical and optical bionanosensors for Hg2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, Cd2+, Cr6+, and Zn2+.

How ICP-OES changed the face of trace element analysis: Review of the global application landscape

The 50th anniversary of Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) will be observed in 2024. ICP-OES was first commercially available in 1974, and since then, it has become one of the most widely used analytical techniques in the world. ICP-OES is a powerful tool for the determination of trace and ultratrace elemental concentrations in a wide variety of samples specifically for multielement analysis. It is used in a wide range of applications, including environmental monitoring, food analysis, and medical diagnostics. This review aims to explore recent applications of ICP-OES in areas such as food analysis, microplastics, materials, dietary supplements, human tissue, and bodily fluids. The utilization of ICP-OES in these fields has ignited the interest of prospective ICP-OES users and inspired current practitioners, as the 50th anniversary approaches, it is of value of providing an updated review. It is important to note that this work does not seek to encompass a comprehensive review of ICP-OES, given the vast number of published results in this field. Undertaking such a comprehensive task would be a daunting challenge. Consequently, an overview of the ICP-OES instrumental technique is provided, followed by a highlighting of recent significant applications in the aforementioned fields.

Detailed insight into chromium species released from failed CoCrMo implants: Ex vivo periprosthetic tissues study

This unique study provides information on Cr species and their distribution in periprosthetic tissues of patients with metal-on-polyethylene joint implants. Co-Cr-Mo alloy has been widely used in joint replacement and represents a source of metal derived species. In the case of chromium, previous studies on periprosthetic tissues revealed mainly Cr(III) distribution, whereas the potential release of carcinogenic Cr(VI) species has been still a subject of debate. Here, an analytical approach utilizing speciation and fractionation was developed to analyze periprosthetic tissue samples collected from wide range of patients with failed total hip or knee replacements. The results reveal that Cr(III) is mainly released in the form of insoluble CrPO₄ and Cr₂ O₃ particles. The highest Cr contents were found in periprosthetic tissues of patients suffering from aseptic loosening and having more Cr-based implants in the body. Cr species penetrated tissue layers, but their levels decreased with the distance from an implant. The detailed speciation/fractionation study carried out using the set of consecutive periprosthetic tissues of a patient with extensive metallosis showed the presence of trace amounts of free Cr(III), nanoparticles, and metal-protein complexes, but the majority of Cr still occurred in CrPO₄ form. Carcinogenic Cr(VI) species were not detected. Up to date, there is no published human tissue study focused on the detailed speciation of both soluble and insoluble Cr-based species in the context of failing total hip and knee replacements.

Characterization of the Plasmatic and Erythroid Multielemental Biodistribution in Childhood Obesity Using a High-Throughput Method for Size Fractionation of Metal Species

In this chapter, we describe a metallomics method based on protein precipitation under non-denaturing conditions and further analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for high-throughput metal speciation in plasma and erythrocyte samples. This methodology enables to study the total multielemental profile of these biological matrices, as well as to quantify the metal fractions conforming the metallometabolome and the metalloproteome. Furthermore, the analytical coverage comprises several essential and toxic metal elements, namely aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead, selenium, vanadium, and zinc. Altogether, the metallomics method here proposed represents an excellent approach to comprehensively characterize the metal biodistribution in human peripheral blood, which would enable to decipher the role of metal homeostasis in health and disease, and particularly in childhood obesity.

Metal-binding biomolecules in the liver of northern pike (Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758): The first data for the family Esocidae

Metal-handling strategies of various fish species are known to vary significantly in association with their intracellular metal behaviour. Thus, to better understand the possible consequences of increased metal exposure in fish it is important to perform comparative studies on metal-binding biomolecules in organs of different species. This study was the first of this kind on a liver of an esocid fish (northern pike, Esox lucius), and the gathered information were compared to fish belonging to three other families, Leuciscidae, Cyprinidae and Salmonidae. Distributions of ten elements among cytosolic biomolecules of different molecular masses were studied by size exclusion HPLC combined offline with high resolution ICP-MS. The results indicated predominant association of Co, Fe and Mo to high molecular mass biomolecules (>100 kDa), of Zn and Bi to both high and medium molecular mass biomolecules (>30 kDa), of Mn and Se to medium molecular mass biomolecules (30-100 kDa), and Ag, Cd and Cu to low molecular mass biomolecules (10-30 kDa), presumably metallothioneins. Evident binding to metallothioneins was also detected for Zn and Bi. For several metals, distinct differences were observed when cytosolic metal distributions of northern pike were compared to leuciscids, salmonids and cyprinids. More pronounced Zn binding to metallothioneins was recorded in leuciscids and cyprinids than both esocids and salmonids, whereas cytosolic Mn and Se distributions clearly differed between all studied fish families. Accordingly, in assessment of metal pollution it is vital to consider the exposed species, which requires prior comprehensive comparative research on numerous aquatic organisms.

Recent Advances and Biomedical Applications of Peptide-Integrated Conducting Polymers

Conducting polymers (CPs) are of great interests to researchers around the world in biomedical applications owing to their unique electrical and mechanical properties. Besides, they are easy to fabricate and have long-term stability. These features make CPs a powerful building block of modern biomaterials. Peptide functionalization has been a versatile tool for the development of CP-based biomaterials. With the aid of peptide modifications, the biocompatibility, target selectivity, and cellular interactions of CPs can be greatly improved. Reflecting these aspects, an increasing number of studies on peptide-integrated conducting polymers have been reported recently. In this review, various kinds of peptide immobilization strategies on CPs are introduced. Moreover, the aims of peptide modification are discussed in three aspects: enhancing the specific selectivity, avoiding nonspecific adhesion, and mimicking the environment of extracellular matrix. We highlighted recent studies in the applications of peptide-integrated CPs in electrochemical sensors, antifouling surfaces, and conductive biointerfaces. These studies have shown great potentials from the integration of peptide and CPs as a versatile platform for advanced biological and clinical applications in the near future.

Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents as a Key Metal Extractant for Fractionation in Speciation Analysis

The research aimed to use natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) as an extractant for fractionation of compounds of selected elements from young barley and to compare it with the fractionation of elements from certified element materials. The use of such a comparison made it possible to prove the possibility of extracting the same forms of elements (species) from different materials, which confirmed the option of using NADES as extractants in speciation analysis. The research was conducted with hyphenated techniques—separation by high-performance chromatography coupled to an isotope-specific detector, mass spectrometry (MS) with ionization in inductively coupled plasma (ICP)—which are widely used in speciation analysis. Natural deep eutectic solvents also help introduce Green Analytical Chemistry principles (GAC). According to the results of our studies, the use of different NADES permit the extraction of various metals from a single sample. Moreover, using other natural solvents of eutectic properties helps extract different species of a given metal.

Polyazulene Based Materials for Heavy Metal Ions Detection. 4. Search for Conditions for Thiophen-Vinyl-Pyridine-Azulene Based CMEs Preparation

The present work is connected to the study of electrode conditioning issues for the chemically modified electrodes (CMEs) prepared based on 2,6-bis((E)-2-(thiophen-2-yl)vinyl)-4-(5-isopropyl- 3,8-dimethylazulen-1-yl) pyridine (L). L is irreversibly electrooxidized to polymers leading to L-CMEs. The recognition experiments are the final test of chosen parameters (electropolymerization potential and charge in controlled potential electrolysis (CPE), anodic limit of the overoxidation cycles (OC), number of OC, anodic limit of the equilibration cycles (EC), number of EC, pH of the buffer solutions for HMs accumulation, complexation time, potential and time of reduction). The evidence of film deposition resulted by the change of ferrocene symmetrical signal characteristics on bare electrode in ferrocene solution was the simplest way to prove the formation of L-CMEs. However, finding the best electrode equilibration conditions turned out to be a source of increasing the analytical performance for the CMEs, especially those dedicated to the detection of Pb. The paper underlines the importance of understanding the role of each varied parameter, and of carrying out a systematic study of each possible variable. Optimum conditions for Pb ions analysis, using this new thiophen-vinyl-pyridine-azulene based CMEs, have been established, in order to get the best conditions for its detection in water.

Recognition of Heavy Metal Ions by Using E-5-((5-Isopropyl-3,8-Dimethylazulen-1-yl) Dyazenyl)-1H-Tetrazole Modified Electrodes

Chemically modified electrodes (CMEs) based on polymeric films of E-5-((5-isopropyl-3,8-dimethylazulen-1-yl) diazenyl)-1H-tetrazole (L) deposited on the surface of the glassy carbon electrode have been used for the recognition of heavy metal (Me) ions. The electrochemical study of L was done by three methods: differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and rotating disk electrode voltammetry (RDE). The CV, DPV, and RDE studies for L were performed at different concentrations in 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium perchlorate solutions in acetonitrile. The polymeric films were formed by successive cycling or by controlled potential electrolysis (CPE). The film formation was proven by recording the CV curves of the CMEs in ferrocene solution. The CMEs prepared at different charges or potentials were used for detection of heavy metal ions. Synthetic samples of heavy metal ions (Cd(II), Pb(II), Cu(II), Hg(II)) of concentrations between 10−8 and 10−4 M were analyzed. The most intense signal was obtained for Pb(II) ion (detection limit of about 10−8 M). Pb(II) ion can be detected by these CMEs in waters at such concentrations. The ability of the ligand L to form complexes with Pb(II) and Hg(II) ions was also tested by UV-Vis spectrometry. The obtained results showed the formation of Me(II)L2 complexes.

Speciation Analysis of Chromium in Chromium-Enriched Yeast by Ion Chromatography-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Chromium-enriched yeast (CrY) is a popular Cr dietary supplement, but suitable speciation analysis of highly toxic Cr(VI) in CrY is not available. Ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method was firstly developed and validated for the quantification of Cr(III) and Cr(VI). Ultrasound-assisted weakly alkaline EDTA solution combined with boiling was used to extract two Cr species in CrY. Two species were separated on two successive anion-exchange columns using a mobile phase of 0.6 mmol/L EDTA and 76 mmol/L NH₄NO₃ solution. The method was sensitive, accurate (92.4-100.9%), and precise (0.8-3.1%). Species of Cr(VI) were not found in CrY.

Detection challenges in quantitative polymer analysis by liquid chromatography

Accurate quantification of polymer distributions is one of the main challenges in polymer analysis by liquid chromatography. The response of contemporary detectors is typically influenced by compositional features such as molecular weight, chain composition, end groups, and branching. This renders the accurate quantification of complex polymers of which there are no standards available, extremely challenging. Moreover, any (programmed) change in mobile-phase composition may further limit the applicability of detection techniques. Current methods often rely on refractive index detection, which is not accurate when dealing with complex samples as the refractive-index increment is often unknown. We review current and emerging detection methods in liquid chromatography with the aim of identifying detectors, which can be applied to the quantitative analysis of complex polymers.

A Review of Analytical Methods for Calcium Salts and Cholecalciferol in Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements composed by the combination of a calcium salt with cholecalciferol (vitamin D₃) are widely used for improving bone health in conditions caused by the deficiency of these compounds in the body. Historically, these supplements have been linked to quality and safety issues. In the case of calcium salts, the presence of potentially toxic contaminants such as lead (Pb) has already been alerted by health authorities from different countries. Meanwhile, cholecalciferol is very unstable under inadequate manufacturing and storage conditions. The content of both compounds in commercial dietary supplements is often found to be in disagreement with the label claims, which can lead to a deficient or excessive nutrient intake by consumers. In this scenario, analyzing these compounds is still a difficult and time-consuming task, which usually requires specific pretreatment procedures and multiple analytical methods due to the inorganic nature of calcium and the organic nature of cholecalciferol. Therefore, this article reviews the analytical methods, described in official compendia and scientific literature, for the determination of calcium salts and cholecalciferol in dietary supplement formulations. We also approached the sample preparation procedures highly required due to the matrix complexity of these materials.

Ion-exchange HPLC-ICP-MS: A new window to chromium speciation in biological tissues

The presented work proposes a novel analytical ICP-MS-based approach for the accurate and precise chromium speciation in biological tissues. The determination of total Cr(VI) and soluble Cr(III) species was carried out by alkaline EDTA extraction followed by their separation using ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (IE-HPLC-ICP-MS). The developed method was validated according to the procedure given in the United States Food and Drug Administration guideline on the validation of bioanalytical methods. Validation parameters included limit of detection (≤ 0.03 μg g^-1), limit of quantification (≤ 0.08 μg g^-1), linearity (r ≥ 0.9998), intra-day and inter-day accuracy (86-110%) and precision (≤ 10%), extraction recovery (89-110%), carry-over effect and sensitivity. In addition, special attention was paid to the study of chromium species interconversion and the elimination of spectral interferences. Moreover, the validated ICP-MS method employing microwave acid digestion was used to determine the total Cr content in collected fractions. Finally, the whole ICP-MS-based methodology was applied to the analyses of two certified reference materials of hepatopancreas tissue. Obtained results indicated that the majority of chromium in biological tissues is bound to the solid residue, Cr(VI) was determined in none of the samples investigated. This is the first study focusing on soluble Cr(III), total Cr(VI), and total bound Cr species in biological tissues. It is characterized by efficient sample preparation and fast simultaneous analysis of Cr species with parallel total Cr analysis serving for chromium balance evaluation.

Analytical Methodologies for the Determination of Organoarsenicals in Edible Marine Species: A Review

Setting regulatory limits for arsenic in food is complicated, owing to the enormous diversity of arsenic metabolism in humans, lack of knowledge about the toxicity of these chemicals, and lack of accurate arsenic speciation data on foodstuffs. Identification and quantification of the toxic arsenic compounds are imperative to understanding the risk associated with exposure to arsenic from dietary intake, which, in turn, underscores the need for speciation analysis of the food. Arsenic speciation in seafood is challenging, owing to its existence in myriads of chemical forms and oxidation states. Interconversions occurring between chemical forms, matrix complexity, lack of standards and certified reference materials, and lack of widely accepted measurement protocols present additional challenges. This review covers the current analytical techniques for diverse arsenic species. The requirement for high-quality arsenic speciation data that is essential for establishing legislation and setting regulatory limits for arsenic in food is explored.

Arsenic Species Analysis at Trace Level by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

A sensitive and accurate simultaneous continuous analysis for six arsenic species including arsenobetaine (AsB), arsenocholine (AsC), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), arsenite (As^III), and arsenate (As^V) has been developed by high performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). An anion-exchange column of Hamilton PRP-X100 (Switzerland) was applied for separation of the six arsenic species with gradient elution of 1.25 mmol/L Na₂HPO₄ and 11.0 mmol/L KH₂PO₄ as the mobile phase A and 2.5 mmol/L Na₂HPO₄ and 22.0 mmol/L KH₂PO₄ as the mobile phase B. The linearity ranges for AsB, AsC, MMA, DMA, As^III, and As^V were between 0.5 and 50.0 μg/L, and the detection limits of the six arsenic species were all within 0.01–0.35 ng/L. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) were within 2.26–3.68% and the recovery rates of samples ranged from 95 to 103%. The proposed method was applied for the arsenic speciation analysis of sediment pore-water samples, which were taken from the supernatant after centrifugation and filtration.

Molecules and elements for quantitative bioanalysis: The allure of using electrospray, MALDI, and ICP mass spectrometry side-by-side

To understand biological processes, not only reliable identification, but quantification of constituents in biological processes play a pivotal role. This is especially true for the proteome: protein quantification must follow protein identification, since sometimes minute changes in abundance tell the real tale. To obtain quantitative data, many sophisticated strategies using electrospray and MALDI mass spectrometry (MS) have been developed in recent years. All of them have advantages and limitations. Several years ago, we started to work on strategies, which are principally capable to overcome some of these limits. The fundamental idea is to use elemental signals as a measure for quantities. We began by replacing the radioactive ³² P with the "cold" natural ³¹ P to quantify modified nucleotides and phosphorylated peptides and proteins and later used tagging strategies for quantification of proteins more generally. To do this, we introduced Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) into the bioanalytical workflows, allowing not only reliable and sensitive detection but also quantification based on isotope dilution absolute measurements using poly-isotopic elements. The detection capability of ICP-MS becomes particularly attractive with heavy metals. The covalently bound proteins tags developed in our group are based on the well-known DOTA chelate complex (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N″,N‴-tetraacetic acid) carrying ions of lanthanoides as metal core. In this review, I will outline the development of this mutual assistance between molecular and elemental mass spectrometry and discuss the scope and limitations particularly of peptide and protein quantification. The lanthanoide tags provide low detection limits, but offer multiplexing capabilities due to the number of very similar lanthanoides and their isotopes. With isotope dilution comes previously unknown accuracy. Separation techniques such as electrophoresis and HPLC were used and just slightly adapted workflows, already in use for quantification in bioanalysis. Imaging mass spectrometry (MSI) with MALDI and laser ablation ICP-MS complemented the range of application in recent years.

Characterization and identification of selected metal-binding biomolecules from hepatic and gill cytosols of Vardar chub (Squalius vardarensis Karaman, 1928) using various techniques of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry

Metals play crucial physiological roles, but they can also cause irreparable toxic effects through binding to important cellular biomolecules in aquatic organisms.

Serum-binding properties of isosteric ruthenium and osmium anticancer agents elucidated by SEC-ICP-MS

ABSTRACT

Size-exclusion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS) was used to study the serum-binding preferences of two metallodrugs with anticancer activities in vivo, namely the organoruthenium compound plecstatin-1 and its isosteric osmium analog. The complexes were administered intraperitoneally into mice bearing a CT-26 tumor. Comparing the total metal content of mouse whole blood and serum underlined that the metallodrugs are mainly located in serum and not in the cellular fraction of the blood samples. In mouse serum, both compounds were not only found to bind extensively to the serum albumin/transferrin fraction but also to immunoglobulins. Free drug was not observed in any of the samples indicating rapid protein binding of the metallodrugs. These findings were validated by spiking human serum with the respective compounds ex vivo. An NCI-60 screen is reported for the osmium analog, which revealed a relative selectivity for cancer cell lines of the ovary and the central nervous system with respect to plecstatin-1. Finally, a COMPARE 170 analysis revealed disruption of DNA synthesis as a possible treatment effect of the osmium-based drug candidate.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Size-exclusion HPLC analysis of trace element distributions in hepatic and gill cytosol of Vardar chub (Squalius vardarensis Karaman) from mining impacted rivers in north-eastern Macedonia

Many bioindicators have not yet been well characterized regarding their tendency to bind trace elements by different cytosolic biomolecules in response to trace element exposure. Accordingly, our principal aim was to define the cytosolic distributions of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Se, and Zn among the biomolecules of different molecular masses in liver and gills of Vardar chub (Squalius vardarensis Karaman), a representative fish species of Macedonian rivers, and to determine distribution changes which occur as a consequence of increased exposure to specific trace elements. Additionally, we aimed to confirm the presence of heat-stable biomolecules in chub hepatic and gill cytosols. Distribution profiles were obtained by separation of cytosols and heat-treated cytosols using size-exclusion high performance-liquid chromatography, and by offline determination of trace element concentrations using high resolution inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Distribution profiles of trace elements were mainly characterized by several peaks encompassing different ranges of molecular masses, as a sign of incorporation of trace elements in various biomolecules within hepatic and gill cytosols. Especially interesting finding was probable binding of Fe to ferritin, which was especially pronounced in the liver, as a sign of important liver function in Fe storage. Furthermore, association with heat-stable proteins, metallothioneins (MT), was indicated for Cd, Cu, and Zn in the hepatic cytosol, as well as for Cd in the gill cytosol, whereas a sign of Zn-MT association was not observed in the gills. The presence of Mo- and Se-binding heat-stable compounds of very low molecular masses (<10kDa) in the cytosol was determined for both liver and the gills. Trace elements under all studied conditions were found associated to the same biomolecules, and only their proportions associated to specific cytosolic compounds have changed as a consequence of their increased bioaccumulation in the liver and gills of Vardar chub.

Fabrication of AO/LDH fluorescence composite and its detection of Hg2+ in water

Divalent mercury ion (Hg²⁺) is one of the most common pollutants in water with high toxicity and significant bioaccumulation, for which sensitive and selective detection methods are highly necessary to carry out its detection and quantification. Fluorescence detection by organic dyes is a simple and rapid method in pollutant analyses and is limited because of quenching caused by aggregation dye molecules. Hydrotalcite (LDH) is one of the most excellent carrier materials. In this study, an organic dye acridine orange (AO) was successfully loaded on the LDH layers, which significantly inhibited fluorescence quenching of AO. The composite AO/LDH reaches the highest fluorescence intensity when the AO initial concentration is 5 mg/L. With its enhanced fluorescent property, the composite powder was fabricated to fluorescence test papers. The maximal fluorescence intensity was achieved with a pulp to AO/LDH ratio of 1:5 which can be used to detect Hg²⁺ in water by naked eyes. Hg²⁺ in aqueous solution can be detected by instruments in the range of 0.5 to 150 mM. The novelty of this study lies on both the development of a new type of mineral-dye composite material, as well as its practical applications for fast detection.

A Review on Recent Applications of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography in Metal Determination and Speciation Analysis

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has several advantages over the conventional methods due to their operational simplicity. It is a vital tool to determine metal ions having same mass but different electronic configuration, to separate complex mixtures and to resolve ions that may be indistinguishable by mass spectrometry alone. Metal ions play vital role in many biological processes and involved in setting up of many diseases. Therefore, the development of simple methods for the detection and quantification of metals in real samples might serve as diagnostic tools for various diseases. This review article focuses on the recent main feature of this technique, i.e. speciation of metal ions and their applications to series of problem of metal ion chemistry in different environmental matrixes. Speciation of metals is of increasing interest and has a great importance because of bioavailability, environmental mobility, toxicity and potential risk of metals. With the capability of partitioning the complex species of different metal ions, HPLC is an efficient technique for this task. This review summarizes recent advances in the development of HPLC to the fundamental understanding of metal ion chemistry in the environment and discusses all the issues that still need a lot of consideration. It has been classified into different sections depending on the role of HPLC in separation used and metal speciation; furthermore, the underlying sample preconcentration techniques and detection systems involved for the determination of metal ions and their applications were discussed.

Factors affecting the toxicity of trace metals to fertilization success in broadcast spawning marine invertebrates: A review

Significant amounts of trace metals have been released into both nearshore and deep sea environments in recent years, resulting in increased concentrations that can be toxic to marine organisms. Trace metals can negatively affect external fertilization processes in marine broadcast spawners and may cause a reduction in fertilization success at elevated concentrations. Due to its sensitivity and ecological importance, fertilization success has been widely used as a toxicity endpoint in ecotoxicological testing, which is an important method of evaluating the toxicity of contaminants for management planning. Ecotoxicological data regarding fertilization success are available across the major marine phyla, but there remain uncertainties that impair our ability to confidently interpret and analyse these data. At present, the cellular and biochemical events underlying trace metal toxicity in external fertilization are not known. Metal behavior and speciation play an important role in bioavailability and toxicity but are often overlooked, and disparities in experimental designs between studies limit the degree to which results can be synthesised and compared to those of other relevant species. We reviewed all available literature covering cellular toxicity mechanisms, metal toxicities and speciation, and differences in methodologies between studies. We conclude that the concept of metal toxicity should be approached in a more holistic manner that involves elucidating toxicity mechanisms, improving the understanding of metal behavior and speciation on bioavailability and toxicity, and standardizing the fertilization assay methods among different groups of organisms. We identify opportunities to improve the fertilization assay that will allow robust critical and comparative analysis between species and their sensitivities to trace metals during external fertilization, and enable data to be more readily extrapolated to field conditions.

The use of elemental mass spectrometry in phosphoproteomic applications

Reversible phosphorylation is one of the most important post-translational modifications in mammalian cells. Because this molecular switch is an important mechanism that diversifies and regulates proteins in cellular processes, knowledge about the extent and quantity of phosphorylation is very important to understand the complex cellular interplay. Although phosphoproteomics strategies are applied worldwide, they mainly include only molecular mass spectrometry (like MALDI or ESI)-based experiments. Although identification and relative quantification of phosphopeptides is straightforward with these techniques, absolute quantification is more complex and usually requires for specific isotopically phosphopeptide standards. However, the use of elemental mass spectrometry, and in particular inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), in phosphoproteomics-based experiments, allow one to absolutely quantify phosphopeptides. Here, these phosphoproteomic applications with ICP-MS as elemental detector are reviewed. Pioneering work and recent developments in the field are both described. Additionally, the advantage of the parallel use of molecular and elemental mass spectrometry is stressed.

Introduction of organic/hydro-organic matrices in inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and mass spectrometry: a tutorial review. Part II. Practical considerations

Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) are increasingly used to carry out analyses in organic/hydro-organic matrices. The introduction of such matrices into ICP sources is particularly challenging and can be the cause of numerous drawbacks. This tutorial review, divided in two parts, explores the rich literature related to the introduction of organic/hydro-organic matrices in ICP sources. Part I provided theoretical considerations associated with the physico-chemical properties of such matrices, in an attempt to understand the induced phenomena. Part II of this tutorial review is dedicated to more practical considerations on instrumentation, instrumental and operating parameters, as well as analytical strategies for elemental quantification in such matrices. Two important issues are addressed in this part: the first concerns the instrumentation and optimization of instrumental and operating parameters, pointing out (i) the description, benefits and drawbacks of different kinds of nebulization and desolvation devices and the impact of more specific instrumental parameters such as the injector characteristics and the material used for the cone; and, (ii) the optimization of operating parameters, for both ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Even if it is at the margin of this tutorial review, Electrothermal Vaporization and Laser Ablation will also be shortly described. The second issue is devoted to the analytical strategies for elemental quantification in such matrices, with particular insight into the isotope dilution technique, particularly used in speciation analysis by ICP-coupled separation techniques.

Modified electrodes used for electrochemical detection of metal ions in environmental analysis

Heavy metal pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems, and regulations are becoming stricter. Many efforts have been made to develop sensors for monitoring heavy metals in the environment. This review aims at presenting the different label-free strategies used to develop electrochemical sensors for the detection of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic etc. The first part of this review will be dedicated to stripping voltammetry techniques, on unmodified electrodes (mercury, bismuth or noble metals in the bulk form), or electrodes modified at their surface by nanoparticles, nanostructures (CNT, graphene) or other innovative materials such as boron-doped diamond. The second part will be dedicated to chemically modified electrodes especially those with conducting polymers. The last part of this review will focus on bio-modified electrodes. Special attention will be paid to strategies using biomolecules (DNA, peptide or proteins), enzymes or whole cells.

Advanced analytical methods and sample preparation for ion chromatography techniques

The recently developed advanced ion chromatography techniques and the various sample preparation methods have been summarized in this mini-review.

Method development for the redox speciation analysis of iron by ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and carryover assessment using isotopically labeled analyte analogues

An ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (IC-ICP-MS) method was developed for the redox speciation analysis of iron (Fe) based on in-column complexation of Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) by dipicolinic acid (DPA). The effects of column type, mobile phase composition and molecular ion interference were studied in the method optimization. The carryover of the target species in the IC-ICP-MS method was uniquely and effectively evaluated using isotopically enriched analogues of the analytes ((54)Fe(2+) and (57)Fe(3+)). Standard solutions of the enriched standards were injected into the system following analysis of a sample, and the ratios of the isotopes of iron in the enriched standards were calculated based on the chromatographic peak areas. The concentrations of the analytes carried over from the sample to the enriched standards were determined using the quantitative relationship in isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS). In contrast to the routine way of evaluating carryover effect by injecting a blank solution after sample analysis, the use of isotopically enriched standards identified significant analyte carryover in the present method. Extensive experiments were carried out to systematically identify the source of the carryover and to eliminate the problem; the separation column was found to be the exclusive source. More than 95% of the analyte carryover was eliminated by reducing the length of the column. The detection limit of the IC-ICP-MS method (MDL) for the iron species was 2ngg(-1). The method was used to determine Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) in synthetic aqueous standard solutions and a beverage sample.

Sequential photocatalyst-assisted digestion and vapor generation device coupled with anion exchange chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for speciation analysis of selenium species in biological samples

We have developed an on-line sequential photocatalyst-assisted digestion and vaporization device (SPADVD), which operates through the nano-TiO2-catalyzed photo-oxidation and reduction of selenium (Se) species, for coupling between anion exchange chromatography (LC) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) systems to provide a simple and sensitive hyphenated method for the speciation analysis of Se species without the need for conventional chemical digestion and vaporization techniques. Because our proposed on-line SPADVD allows both organic and inorganic Se species in the column effluent to be converted on-line into volatile Se products, which are then measured directly through ICP-MS, the complexity of the procedure and the probability of contamination arising from the use of additional chemicals are both low. Under the optimized conditions for SPADVD - using 1g of nano-TiO2 per liter, at pH 3, and illuminating for 80 s - we found that Se(IV), Se(VI), and selenomethionine (SeMet) were all converted quantitatively into volatile Se products. In addition, because the digestion and vaporization efficiencies of all the tested selenicals were improved when using our proposed on-line LC/SPADVD/ICP-MS system, the detection limits for Se(IV), Se(VI), and SeMet were all in the nanogram-per-liter range (based on 3σ). A series of validation experiments - analysis of neat and spiked extracted samples - indicated that our proposed methods could be applied satisfactorily to the speciation analysis of organic and inorganic Se species in the extracts of Se-enriched supplements.

Metal Species in Biology: Bottom-Up and Top-Down LC Approaches in Applied Toxicological Research

Since the inception of liquid chromatography (LC) more than 100 years ago this separation technique has been developed into a powerful analytical tool that is frequently applied in life science research. To this end, unique insights into the interaction of metal species (throughout this manuscript “metal species” refers to “toxic metals, metalloid compounds, and metal-based drugs” and “toxic metals” to “toxic metals and metalloid compounds”) with endogenous ligands can be obtained by using LC approaches that involve their hyphenation with inductively coupled plasma-based element specific detectors. This review aims to provide a synopsis of the different LC approaches which may be employed to advance our understanding of these interactions either in a “bottom-up” or a “top-down” manner. In the “bottom-up” LC-configuration, endogenous ligands are introduced into a physiologically relevant mobile phase buffer, and the metal species of interest is injected. Subsequent “interrogation” of the on-column formed complex(es) by employing a suitable separation mechanism (e.g., size exclusion chromatography or reversed-phase LC) while changing the ligand concentration(s), the column temperature or the pH can provide valuable insight into the formation of complexes under near physiological conditions. This approach allows to establish the relative stability and hydrophobicity of metal-ligand complexes as well as the dynamic coordination of a metal species (injected) to two ligands (dissolved in the mobile phase). Conversely, the “top-down” analysis of a biological fluid (e.g., blood plasma) by LC (e.g., using size exclusion chromatography) can be used to determine the size distribution of endogenous metalloproteins which are collectively referred to as the “metalloproteome”. This approach can provide unique insight into the metabolism and the plasma protein binding of metal species, and can simultaneously visualize the dose-dependent perturbation of the metalloproteome by a particular metal species. The concerted application of these LC approaches is destined to provide new insight into biochemical processes which represent an important starting point to advance human health in the 21st century.

Calciomics: integrative studies of Ca2+-binding proteins and their interactomes in biological systems

Calcium ion (Ca(2+)), the fifth most common chemical element in the earth's crust, represents the most abundant mineral in the human body. By binding to a myriad of proteins distributed in different cellular organelles, Ca(2+) impacts nearly every aspect of cellular life. In prokaryotes, Ca(2+) plays an important role in bacterial movement, chemotaxis, survival reactions and sporulation. In eukaryotes, Ca(2+) has been chosen through evolution to function as a universal and versatile intracellular signal. Viruses, as obligate intracellular parasites, also develop smart strategies to manipulate the host Ca(2+) signaling machinery to benefit their own life cycles. This review focuses on recent advances in applying both bioinformatic and experimental approaches to predict and validate Ca(2+)-binding proteins and their interactomes in biological systems on a genome-wide scale (termed "calciomics"). Calmodulin is used as an example of Ca(2+)-binding protein (CaBP) to demonstrate the role of CaBPs on the regulation of biological functions. This review is anticipated to rekindle interest in investigating Ca(2+)-binding proteins and Ca(2+)-modulated functions at the systems level in the post-genomic era.