Critical evaluation of the potential of ICP-MS-based systems in toxicological studies of metallic nanoparticles

Abstract

The extensive application of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) in several fields has significantly impacted our daily lives. Nonetheless, uncertainties persist regarding the toxicity and potential risks associated with the vast number of NPs entering the environment and human bodies, so the performance of toxicological studies are highly demanded. While traditional assays focus primarily on the effects, the comprehension of the underlying processes requires innovative analytical approaches that can detect, characterize, and quantify NPs in complex biological matrices. Among the available alternatives to achieve this information, mass spectrometry, and more concretely, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), has emerged as an appealing option. This work critically reviews the valuable contribution of ICP-MS-based techniques to investigate NP toxicity and their transformations during in vitro and in vivo toxicological assays. Various ICP-MS modalities, such as total elemental analysis, single particle or single-cell modes, and coupling with separation techniques, as well as the potential of laser ablation as a spatially resolved sample introduction approach, are explored and discussed. Moreover, this review addresses limitations, novel trends, and perspectives in the field of nanotoxicology, particularly concerning NP internalization and pathways. These processes encompass cellular uptake and quantification, localization, translocation to other cell compartments, and biological transformations. By leveraging the capabilities of ICP-MS, researchers can gain deeper insights into the behaviour and effects of NPs, which can pave the way for safer and more responsible use of these materials. Graphical abstract

Unveiling Nanoparticles: Recent Approaches in Studying the Internalization Pattern of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Mono- and Multicellular Biological Structures

“…However, the methods with the highest accuracy remain those involving spectrometry measurements. One of the most popular techniques for assessing the quantity of internalized NPs in biological structures is inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) [ 115 , 116 ], which offers a detection limit up to the order of parts per trillion (ppt) [ 117 ] and involves digesting biological structures exposed to NP treatment, followed by evaluating the elemental composition of the samples [ 118 , 119 ]. Single-cell ICP-MS is a rapid method for the detection of metal contents in a cell suspension, with extensive applications in toxicology studies [ 120 ]; however, the resolution (mg/L level) [ 119 ] is quite inappropriate to give a precise estimation of NPs internalization efficiency, which is an important parameter in the estimation of the nanotherapeutic efficiency [ 121 ].…”