Application of ICP-MS for the study of disposition and toxicity of metal-based nanomaterials

Many nanomaterials, such as quantum dots, nano-gold, nano-silver, nano-ZnO, etc., consist of metal components. When these metal-based nanomaterials are used for biological applications, their biological safety must be evaluated. The biological disposition (ADME: absorption, deposition, metabolism, and elimination) of these nanomaterials need to be evaluated. Such evaluation can be made via tracking of the metallic constituents of the nanoparticles in various tissues and organs after exposure. Although atomic absorption (AA) spectrometry is traditionally used for metal analyses, inductively couple plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a more modern and preferred technique for metal analyses. ICP-MS has distinct advantages over the traditional AA technique by being much more sensitive, efficient, and effective. Because the metallic contents in nanomaterials are usually of very minute amounts, the use of ICP-MS for their tracking is recommended. Specifics of applications and detailed technical protocols for ICP-MS analyses are provided. Some study results on quantum dots (QDs) and nano-gold (AuNP) with ICP-MS are also illustrated.