A high-resolution ICP-MS method for the determination of 38 inorganic elements in human whole blood, urine, hair and tissues after microwave digestion

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is currently the reference method for the determination of inorganic elements, and has many applications in healthcare and the environmental field. The objective of the present study was to develop and validate a high-resolution ICP-MS method for the simultaneous quantification of 38 elements in samples of human whole blood, urine, hair and tissues after microwave mineralization. The samples were incubated with nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide and internal standards prior to microwave mineralization for 25 min. The analysis was performed with an Element XR ICP-MS and validated using commercial reference standards (whole blood, urine, and hair) and in-house quality control samples. The 38 elements were detected in low-, medium- or high-resolution mode, depending on interferences and sensitivity. The lower and upper limits of quantification were adjusted for each element. The method was linear for all elements (correlation coefficient >0.996), and the inter- and intraday precision values (coefficient of variation) were below 15%. Samples from a clinical trial were used to confirm the high-resolution ICP-MS method’s suitability for the assessment of patient samples.