[Determination of selenium in rat's organs by graphite microwave dissolution]

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Toxicology

Context:

• Accurate quantification of selenium is crucial for understanding its biological roles and toxicological effects.
• Traditional methods for selenium determination in biological tissues often suffer from selenium volatilization and matrix interferences.
• Microwave dissolution coupled with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) offers a sensitive approach for elemental analysis.

Purpose:

• To develop and optimize a method for the precise and reliable determination of selenium content in ten different rat organs.
• To address challenges of selenium loss during digestion and matrix effects using an inorganic palladium modifier.
• To establish optimal conditions for digestion, matrix modification, cineration, and atomization in GF-AAS.

Summary:

• Selenium content in rat organs was measured using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with microwave dissolution.
• An inorganic palladium chloride modifier was employed to mitigate selenium volatilization and matrix disturbances during sample preparation.
• Optimized conditions included specific volumes of digestion reagents (HNO3/H2O2), palladium chloride concentration, and cineration/atomization temperatures, yielding a linear range of 0-80 ng/mL and a detection limit of 1.83 ng/mL.

Impact:

• The developed method demonstrates high precision (RSD < 8%) and accuracy (average recovery 97.6%).
• This technique provides a sensitive, reliable, convenient, and rapid approach for selenium determination in various biological organs.
• Facilitates further research into selenium metabolism, distribution, and health implications in mammalian systems.